KINGS  IN  ADVERSITY 


EDWAJ^S-VANZILE 


' 


UNIV.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  LOS  ANGELES 


KINGS  IN  ADVERSITY 


EDWARD  S.  VAN  ZILE 

AUTHOR  OP  "  THK  MANHATTANERS,"  "THE  LAST  OF  THB  VAN 
SLACKS,"  ETC. 


'  Kings  are  like  stars — they  rise  and  set,  they  have 
The  worship  of  the  world,  but  no  repose." — SHELLEY. 


NEW  YORK 
F.  TENNYSON    NEELY 

114  FIFTH  AVENUE 
1897 


Neely's  Prismatic  Library. 

GILT  TOP,  50  CENTS. 

"I  know  of  nothing  In  the  book  line  that  equals    t 
Neely's  Prismatic  Library  for  elegance  and  careful     ' 
selection.    It  Bets  a  pace  that  others  will  not  easily 
equal  and  none  surpass."— E.  A.  ROBINSON. 

SOUR  SAINTS  AND  SWEET  SINNERS ~ 

Jii/  Carlos  Martyn. 
SEVEN  SMILES  AND  A  FEW  FIBS. 

]{y    Thomas  J.    Vivian.      With  full-page 
illustrations  by  well-known  artists. 
A  MODERN  PROMETHEUS. 

By  E.  PJiillipa  Oppenheim. 
THE  SHACKLES  Of  F^LTE. 

By  Max  Nordau. 
A  BACHELOR  OF  PARIS. 

By  John  IF.  Harding.     With  over  SO  il- 
lustrations by   William  Hofacher. 
MONTRESOR.    By  Loota. 
REVERIES  OF  A  SPINSTER. 

By  Helen  Davies. 
THE  ART  MELODIOUS. 

By  Louis  Lombard. 
THE  HONOR  OF  A  PRINCE8H. 

By  F.  Kimball  Bcribner. 
OBSERVATIONS  OF  A  BACHELOR. 

By  Louis  Lombard. 
KINGS  IN  ADVERSITY. 

By  E.  S.  Van  Zile. 
NOBLE    BLOOD    AND    A     WEST    POINT 

PARALLEL.    By  Captain  King. 
TRUMPETER  FRED. 

By  Captain  King.  Illustrated. 
FATHER  STAFFORD.  By  Anthony  Hope. 
THE  KING  IN  YELLOW. 

By  R.  W.  Chambers. 

IN  THE  QUARTER.      By  R.  W.  Chambers. 
A  PROFESSIONAL  LOVER.    By  Gyp. 
BIJOV'S  COURTSHIPS. 

Bn  Gyp.     Illustrated. 
A  CONSPIRACY  OF  THE  CARBONARI. 

By  Louise  Jffuhlbach. 
SOAP  BUBBLES.     By  Dr.  Max  Nordau. 


F.  TENNYSON    NEELY, 

PUBLISHER, 
NEW   YORK,  LONDON. 


Copyrighted  In  the  United  Statts  and 

Qriat  Britain  In  MDCCCXCVII  by 

F.  Ttnnyton  Neelf. 

All  rights  re  si  rued. 


KINGS  IN  ADVERSITY. 


THE   CROWN   PRINCE  OF  REXANIA. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ALMOST  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  an- 
tique structure  that  for  a  full  century  has 
been  known  to  New  Yorkers  as  St.  Mark's 
Church  stands  a  mansion  that  has  had,  like 
Eden,  its  glory  and  its  fall.  Once  it  was  the 
home  of  aristocracy  and  wealth.  To-day  it 
is  an  eating-place  for  those  whose  lot  is  pov- 
erty and  whose  faith  is  democratic. 

At  the  moment  at  which  our  story  opens, 
the  rooms  in  which  in  the  old  days  portly 
Knickerbockers  indulged  in  stately  feasts  are 
crowded  with  picturesque  waifs  from  the  Old 
World,  who  have,  for  a  variety  of  reasons, 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  air  their  woes  in  a 
freer  atmosphere  than  surrounded  them  at 
home.  A  table-d'hdte  dinner,  greasy,  cheap, 
and  plentiful,  is  the  magnet  that  has  drawn 
from  the  East  Side  many  of  its  most  daring 
spirits,  men  with  great  grievances  and  enor- 
mous appetites.  While  emphasizing  the  for- 
mer and  appeasing  the  latter,  these  men  grow 


2134059 


4  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

loquacious  and  blow  white  clouds  of  cigarette 
smoke  toward  the  ceilings;  and  the  dinner 
nears  its  end. 

It  is  with  a  group  of  four  foreign  malecon- 
tents  that  we  must  seat  ourselves  in  spirit, 
for  they  have  a  mighty  matter  under  discus- 
sion, and  in  their  conversation  lies  the  ex- 
planation of  certain  startling  episodes  that 
occurred  in  the  metropolis  last  year,  the  de- 
tails of  which  have  not  been  made  known 
hitherto  either  to  the  public  or  to  the  police. 

"You  feel  sure,  Posadowski,"  a  frowzy- 
headed,  full-bearded  man  was  saying  in  the 
purest  Rexanian,  a  dialect  spoken  by  only  a 
few  hundred  East-siders,  "  you  feel  sure  that 
you  have  the  dates  exactly  as  they  should  be?" 

"  I  will  read  you  the  letter,  Rukacs,  and 
you  can  make  your  own  calculations,"  an- 
swered Posadowski,  a  better-groomed  man 
than  his  companions,  nearing  middle  age, 
but  with  a  fresh  complexion  and  a  clear,  gray 
eye  that  could  look  like  ice  or  gleam  with 
fire,  as  the  spirit  of  the  man  ordained.  His 
companions  bent  toward  him  eagerly,  as  he 
took  from  his  pocket  a  letter  bearing  a  for- 
eign postmark.  Lighting  a  fresh  cigarette, 
Posadowski  read,  in  a  low  voice,  the  follow- 
ing epistle : 

"  DEAR  BROTHER  :  Strange  things  have  hap- 
pened in  Rexania.  The  crown  prince  has 
left  here  in  disguise.  Three  men  only  know 
this,  the  king,  the  prime  minister,  and  my- 
self. If  they  knew  that  I  held  their  secret, 
this  would  be  my  last  letter — eh,  my  friends? 
But  they  will  never  suspect  me — the  best 
servant  in  the  palace — of  communicating  with 
such  rebellious  rascals  as  you,  Posadowski 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.  5 

ana  Rukacs  and  the  rest  of  you.  The  king 
was  bitterly  opposed  to  Prince  Carlo's  jour- 
ney. But  Carlo  is  no  longer  a  boy.  He  is 
a  clever,  active-minded,  studious  man,  who 
might  have  been  one  of  us  if  he  had  not  been 
born  a  crown  prince.  He  has  great  influence 
over  Prime  Minister  Fejeravy,  and  persuaded 
him  to  plead  with  the  king.  Carlo  has  set 
out  for  America,  and  travels  incognito.  I 
have  risked  my  life  to  tell  you  that  he  will 
reach  New  York  on  the  Wiendam,  under  the 
title  of  Count  Szalaki.  He  has  promised  to 
return  as  soon  as  he  has  crossed  the  conti- 
nent and  visited  Chicago  and  San  Francisco. 
The  fact  is  that  the  prince  is  anxious  to  see 
for  himself  how  a  country  looks  that  is  gov- 
erned by  its  people.  Poor  fellow!  I  have 
long  felt  sorry  for  him.  Upon  his  firmness 
at  his  father's  death  will  depend  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  Rexanian  monarchy,  and  I  feel 
sure  that  he  is  only  half-hearted  in  his  as- 
sumed regard  for  royalty.  But  I  dare  not 
waste  more  time  on  this  hasty  letter.  I  am, 
obliged  to  spend  nearly  all  my  time  quieting 
suspicions  that  I  fear  I  may  have  aroused  in 
this  palatial  hotbed  of  treachery  and  intrigue. 
Nevertheless,  my  brothers,  reflect  on  this: 
fate  has  placed  a  great  opportunity  in  your 
power.  The  king  is  old  and  failing.  If  the 
crown  prince  is  not  at  hand  when  the  king 
dies — well,  there  will  be  no  more  kings  in 
Rexania.  The  people  love  the  prince ;  but  if 
he  is  not  here  when  the  sceptre  falls  from  his 
father's  hand  he  will  never  be  crowned.  It 
is  in  your  control — the  future  of  Rexania.  I 
and  my  fellow-republicans' — we  are  very 
quiet  at  present — leave  it  to  you  to  make 
Rexania  free.  If  the  king  dies  and  the  crown 


6  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

prince  is  not  here,  no  power  on  earth  can  pre- 
vent the  republic.  My  love  and  devotion  to 
you  all.  Courage!  We  trust  to  you." 

The  faces  of  the  conspirators  had  turned 
pale  as  Posadowski  had  slowly  and  impres- 
sively emphasized  the  pregnant  sentences  of 
the  revolutionist  who  defied  death  at  the 
king's  right  hand. 

"  He  is  magnificent,"  exclaimed  Posno- 
vitch,  the  oldest  member  of  the  quartette,  a 
gigantic  man,  with  picturesque  gray  locks. 

"  Yes.  How  little  we  have  to  fear,  com- 
pared with  a  spy  who  knows  the  king's 
secret  thoughts  and  who  lives  under  Feje- 
ravy 's  eye,"  remarked  Rukacs.  "  But  tell  me, 
Posadowski,  have  you  a  plan  of  action  in 
your  mind?" 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  do."  said  Ludo- 
vics,  a  small,  black-whiskered  man  with  fe- 
verish eyes  and  nervous  manner.  "  Count — 
Count  Szalaki,  I  think,  was  the  name  he 
took,  was  it  not? — must  not  leave  this  coun- 
try alive." 

"  Hush !"  whispered  Posadowski,  impera- 
tively, as  a  waiter  refilled  their  coffee-cups. 
"  You  were  always  reckless,  Ludovics. 
There  may  be  a  way  open  to  us  that  does  not 
require  bloodshed.  The  crown  prince,  we 
are  told,  is  not  a  monarchist  at  heart." 

"  Don't  be  deceived  by  that  fact — if  it  is  a 
fact,"  returned  Ludovics,  hotly.  "  He  won't 
abdicate.  Whatever  may  be  his  inner  con- 
victions, he  has  an  hereditary  liking  for  a 
throne,  and  I'm  sure  that  his  visit  to  this 
country  will  destroy  all  fondness  that  he  may 
have  begotten,  in  his  imagination,  for  repub- 
lics." 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.  7 

His  companions  looked  at  the  speaker  sus- 
piciously. Was  he  growing  reactionary  in 
his  views?  was  the  question  that  came  into 
their  minds. 

"  Uon't  mistake  me,"  he  continued,  noting 
their  look  of  consternation.  "  I  am  as  good 
a  republican  as  walks  the  earth,  but  I  don't 
think  a  surface  view  of  this  country  will  have 
an  influence  upon  the  crown  prince  tending 
toward  a  great  renunciation  on  his  part.  He. 
will  return  to  Rexania  more  determined  than, 
he  is  at  present  to  rule.  I  tell  you,  my  broth- 
ers, the  prince  must  be  destroyed,  if  he  won't 
be  converted." 

There  was  silence  for  a  time.  Finally, 
Posnovitch  beckoned  to  a  waiter  and  ordered: 
brandy  for  the  quartette. 

"  Posadowski,  what  do  you  propose?"  asked 
Rukacs,  smiling  as  he  glanced  confidingly  at 
the  real  leader  of  the  group. 

The  clear-eyed  Rexanian  gazed  thought- 
fully at  his  companions.  "  Our  steps  must 
be  guided  by  circumstances,"  he  remarked, 
guardedly.  "  The  Wiendam  is  due  here  on 
the  yth.  It  is  now  the  5th.  One  of  us  must 
make  it  his  duty  to  shadow  the  prince  and 
keep  informed  of  his  every  movement." 

"  You're  the  man  to  do  it,  Posadowski, "ex- 
claimed Posnovitch,  with  conviction.  "  You 
have  become  more  Americanized  than  the 
rest  of  us,  and  won't  create  suspicion.  Will 
you  accept  the  responsibility?" 

Posadowski  sat  silent  for  a  time,  puffing 
cigarette  smoke  thoughtfully  and  looking  at 
his  companions,  who  were  watching  him 
eagerly. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  Posnovitch.  I  see 
no  reason  why  I  should  not  take  the  prince 


8  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

in  tow.  But  let  me  impress  several  things 
upon  you  all.  Listen.  We  must  arrange  a 
plan  whereby  I  can  summon  you  here  at  an 
hour's  notice.  I  have  in  mind  a  scheme  that 
will  require  firmness  on  our  part,  but  is  not 
attended  with  any  great  danger.  Not  that 
any  of  you  fear  that.  We  all  got  used  to  it 
in  the  revolutionary  days,  ten  years  ago. 
Rexania  was  not  a  bed  of  roses  at  that  time, 
was  it,  Rukacs?  But  to  the  point.  That 
brandy  has  made  me  sentimental,  and  I'm 
tempted  to  dwell  on  the  past  rather  than  the 
future.  Now,  my  brothers,  if  you  really 
wish  to  leave  this  matter  to  me  for  the  time 
being,  I  will  do  my  best  to  satisfy  you  all. 
Our  aim  is  simply  this:  to  keep  the  crown 
prince  in  this  country — which  means,  of 
course,  within  our  immediate  vicinity — until 
the  king  dies.  An  interregnum  of  even  one 
•day  would  be  fatal  to  monarchy  in  Rexania. 
To-morrow  night  I  will  tell  you  all  the  de- 
tails of  my  plan.  Meanwhile,  let  us  be  seen 
together  as  little  as  possible.  Posnovitch, 
•come  to  me  in  the  morning.  I  have  a  jour- 
ney that  I  want  you  to  make  into  Westches- 
ter  County.  And  be  careful  of  the  brandy 
to-night.  You  must  have  a  clear  head  to- 
morrow to  carry  out  your  part  of  the  plan. 
Do  you  understand  me?" 

"  Well  enough  to  keep  sober,"  answered  the 
•elderly  giant,  good-naturedly. 

"And  so  good-night,  my  brothers,"  said 
Posadowski,  as  he  arose  to  leave  the  room. 
'To  each  of  them  he  gave  his  hand,  and  be- 
fore he  turned  to  go  bent  down  to  them  and 
in  solemn  tones  cried,  feelingly,  "  God  bless 
Rexania  and  make  her  free !" 


CHAPTER  II. 

"I  CONSIDER  him,"  said  Mrs.  Strong,  wife 
of  Gerald  Strong  the  banker,  "  I  consider 
him,  Kate,  the  handsomest  and  most  attrac- 
tive man  I  have  ever  met.  Everybody  on 
the  steamer  was  charmed  with  him.  Even 
your  father,  who  is  not  impressionable,  was 
fascinated  by  Count  Szalaki." 

"  His  name  sounds  like  the  toothache,"  re- 
marked Kate  Strong,  gazing  at  her  mother 
with  an  unbending  countenance.  They  were 
seated  in  the  drawing-room  of  one  of  the 
most  luxurious  homes  in  upper  Fifth  Avenue, 
half  an  hour  before  the  time  set  for  dinner. 

Kate  Strong  resembled  her  mother  in  face 
and  figure.  They  were  tall,  graceful  wo- 
men, with  clear-cut,  patrician  features.  The 
difference  in  their  ages  was  not  strongly 
marked.  Mrs.  Strong  often  remarked  play- 
fully that  she  and  her  daughter  had  grown  up 
together.  But,  while  Mrs.  Strong's  hair  had 
begun  to  turn  white  beneath  the  touch  of  ad- 
vancing years,  the  golden  glory  of  youth  still 
rested  upon  Kate's  head.  Furthermore,  there 
was  a  great  contrast  in  the  habitual  expres- 
sion that  animated  their  respective  faces. 
There  were  firm,  almost  harsh,  lines  around 
Mrs.  Strong's  mouth  that  told  of  a  strong 
will  and  indicated  a  set  purpose  in  life. 
Kate's  face,  beautiful  in  contour  and  daz- 
zling in  the  freshness  of  its  tints,  betrayed  a 


10  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

rebellious,  restless  nature  that  had  not  yet 
found  in  existence  an  ambition  that  fully  sat- 
isfied her  soul.  The  mother's  lips  seemed 
fashioned  for  command,  the  daughter's  for 
something  they  had  not  yet  tasted. 

"You are  so  flippant,  Kate, "remarked  Mrs. 
Strong,  reprovingly.  "  I  am  sure  that  when 
you  see  the  count  you  will  not  feel  inclined 
to  joke  about  anything  connected  with  him — 
not  even  his  name." 

"  He  seems  to  have  hypnotized  you,  mam- 
ma. Tell  me  about  him.  Is  he  very  high 
in  rank?" 

Mrs.  Strong  smiled  at  her  daughter's  show 
of  interest.  It  pleased  her. 

"We  really  don't  know,  Kate,  just  how 
prominent  he  is  in  Rexania.  It's  a  queer 
country,  you  know.  They're  always  having 
outbreaks  there,  and  the  kings  and  nobles 
have  to  go  armed  most  of  the  time.  But 
your  father  says  that  the  count,  although  he 
is  very  reticent  about  his  country  and  its 
affairs,  seems  to  be  on  intimate  terms  with 
all  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe." 

At  this  moment,  Ned  Strong,  a  youth  a 
few  years  older  than  Kate,  entered  the  room, 
carefully  attired  in  evening  dress. 

"  I  suppose,  mamma,  that  your  friend  the 
count  will  be  late.  It's  a  way  those  foreign- 
ers have.  There's  no  snap  about  them :  is 
there,  Kate?" 

The  girl  looked  up  admiringly  at  her  tall, 
handsome  brother,  whose  manly,  vibrant 
voice  indicated  an  energetic  temperament 
that  possessed  large  dynamic  possibilities 
for  good  or  evil. 

"  That's  the  reason  I  like  them,"  she  ex- 
claimed, inconsistently.  "  They  don't  seem 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         II 

to  feel  that  they  were  put  into  the  world  to- 
do  something.  They  are  clever.  They  made 
their  ancestors  do  their  work." 

Ned  Strong  glanced  at  his  mother  quizzi- 
cally. 

"  I  wish,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  that  we  could 
get  Kate  to  have  a  few  firm  convictions. 
What  she  is  in  favor  of  one  day  she  is  sure 
to  be  opposed  to  the  next.  It  is  so  hard  to 
tell  what  she  really  thinks." 

Kate  smiled  amusedly.  "  Forgive  me, 
Ned,"  she  implored.  "  I'm  sorry  I  don't 
please  you.  But  I'll  make  you  a  promise. 
If  you  are  really  anxious  to  know  what  I 
think  of  Count  Szalaki,  I'll  tell  you  to-night 
after  he  has  gone.  But  here's  papa.  He 
knows  more  about  Count  Szalaki  than  mam- 
ma does." 

"  Yes,  father,"  put  in  Ned,  rising  as  Gerald 
Strong,  a  portly,  clean-shaven,  gray-haired 
man,  entered  the  drawing-room.  "  Tell  us 
about  the  count.  Is  there  anything  to  him 
besides  his  title?" 

"  Yes,  Ned,  I  think  there  is,"  answered 
Mr.  Strong,  seating  himself  and  looking  at 
his  watch.  "  He's  got  manners  and  good 
looks,  speaks  several  languages,  and  seems 
to  have  read  a  good  deal.  But  he's  awfully 
green  about  this  country.  He  really  seemed 
to  think  that  Chicago  was  more  of  a  place 
than  New  York.  He'll  get  over  that,  of 
course.  I  wanted  to  have  him  meet  some  of 
our  people  to-night,  but  he  begged  me  to 
receive  him  en  Jamille.  He  seems  to  dread 
notoriety." 

"  That  looks  suspicious,"  commented  Kate. 

"  I  am  astonished,  Kate,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Strong.  "  One  would  think  that  you  could 


12  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

not  trust  your  father  and  myself  to  travel 
alone  for  fear  that  we  should  be  imposed 
upon.  Count  Szalaki  wants  to  see  the  coun- 
try, not  to  be  interviewed  by  reporters." 

"  By  the  way,"  remarked  Ned,  looking  at 
his  father,  "  are  there  many  Rexanians  in 
New  York?" 

"  A  few  hundred,  I  believe,  on  the  East 
Side,"  answered  Mr.  Strong,  who  had  taken 
a  practical  interest  in  politics  during  the  re- 
vival of  reform  movements.  "  Most  of  them 
came  over  here  about  ten  years  ago,  when 
the  present  king  banished  a  large  number  of 
revolutionists.  I  have  heard  that  they  make 
good  citizens,  but  are  inclined  to  talk  anarchy 
when  under  the  influence  of  beer." 

"  Did  you  talk  politics  with  the  count?" 

"  I  tried  to,"  answered  Mr.  Strong,  again 
glancing  at  his  watch,  for  he  was  sorely  in 
need  of  a  dinner.  "  He  is  a  very  sensible 
young  man,  considering  the  fact  that  he  has 
a  title  and  estates  in  a  monarchical  country. 
But  he  got  more  oat  of  me  than  I  obtained 
from  him.  He  asked  me  a  hundred  questions 
— some  of  them  really  laughable — about  our 
form  of  government  and  my  opinion  of  the 
ability  of  a  free  people  to  rule  themselves." 

"  Of  course,"  remarked  Ned,  sarcastically, 
"  you  gave  him  to  understand  that  we  place 
entire  confidence  in  the  'people,'  hoi polloi, 
demos.  You  said  nothing  to  him  about 
'bosses'?" 

Mr.  Strong  glanced  at  his  son  deprecat- 
ingly. 

"  Satire  is  not  your  strong  point,  Ned. 
Of  course  I  didn't  dwell  upon  the  defects 
of  our  system  to  the  count.  I  rather  encour- 
aged him  to  think  that  our  experiment  in 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE   OF    REXANIA.         13 

self-government  had  been  a  thorough  suc- 
cess." 

"  It  certainly  has,  father — for  the  bankers,* 
commented  the  young  man,  gazing  quizzi- 
cally at  Mr.  Strong. 

"  Isn't  Ned  unbearable !"  cried  Kate,  warm- 
ly. "  Perhaps,  Ned,  you'll  be  willing  to  tell 
the  count  just  how  this  country  ought  to  be 
governed." 

"  I  leave  that  to  you,  Kate.  Don't  you  at- 
tend Professor  Smith's  lectures  on  represen- 
tative government?  Surely  the  count  can 
learn  more  about  our  institutions  from  the 
women  of  our  set  than  from  the  men." 

"  We  have  more  patriotism,"  cried  Kate. 

"No,  you  have  more  leisure,"  answered 
Ned. 

"  Be  quiet,  children,"  whispered  Mrs. 
Strong,  nervously,  as  the  butler  appeared 
at  the  door  and  announced : 

"  Count  Szalaki." 

A  young  man  entered  the  drawing-room 
hastily,  and  bent  courteously  over  Mrs. 
Strong's  outstretched  hand. 

"  He  looks  like  Lord  Byron,"  whispered 
Kate  to  her  brother.  Then  she  turned  and 
met  the  smiling  eyes  of  a  youth  whose  glance 
was  strangely  magnetic. 


CHAPTER   III. 

"You  have  never  been  in  Europe,  then. 
Miss  Strong?" 

Count  Szalaki  turned  smilingly  to  his  m- 
a-vis  as  they  seated  themselves  at  the  dining- 
table  in  a  room  that  appeared  luxurious  even 
to  the  eye  of  the  guest.  There  was  a  pecu- 
liarity in  his  pronunciation  that  defies  repro- 
duction in  cold  type.  His  voice  was  gentle 
and  carefully  modulated,  and  the  English 
language  seemed  to  do  homage  to  his  rank, 
for  it  fell  from  his  lips  in  a  musical  softness 
that  was  extremely  pleasing  to  the  ear. 

Kate  Strong  was  fascinated,  against  her 
will,  by  the  dark  gray  eyes  of  the  pictur- 
esque youth  at  her  side.  His  black  hair  curled 
romantically  about  a  high,  white  brow,  and 
his  mouth,  symmetrically  curved,  indicated 
an  imaginative  and  generous  temperament. 
His  white,  even  teeth  added  vastly  to  the 
brilliancy  of  his  smile.  There  was  a  touch 
of  embarrassment  in  his  manner,  now  and 
then,  that  seemed  to  exact  sympathy  from 
his  entertainers. 

"  Not  since  I  was  quite  young,"  answered 
Kate,  with  the  air  of  one  who  has  reached 
extreme  old  age. 

"My  sister,"  remarked  Ned  Strong,  as  the 
butler  removed  his  soup-plate — "  my  sister, 
Count  Szalaki,  is  a  tremendous  democrat, 
you  know.  She  won't  go  to  Europe,  I  fear. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         15 

until  every  country  over  there  has  become 
a  republic." 

"  How  unfair !"  cried  Mrs.  Strong,  glancing 
deprecatingly  at  her  son. 

"  Then,  Miss  Strong,  you  don't  approve  of 
foreign  aristocrats?"  asked  the  count  gently, 
smiling  at  Kate  in  a  confiding  way. 

"Indeed  I  do,"  she  returned,  looking  de- 
fiantly at  Ned.  "  We  should  be  very  dull  in 
our  set,  you  know,  without  them." 

"  But  you  don't  take  them  au  s/neux?"  asked 
the  count,  anxious  to  stand  on  solid  ground. 

"Indeed  we  don't,"  cried  Kate.  "We 
marry  them,  you  know." 

Count  Szalaki  looked  at  his  host  in  a  puz- 
zled way,  and  Mr.  Strong  smiled  benignantly. 

"  I  think  I  told  you  on  the  steamer,  count," 
remarked  Mr.  Strong,  "  that  you  would  find 
it  easier  to  understand  our  political  institu- 
tions than  our  American  girl,  did  I  not?" 

Count  Szalaki  looked  at  Kate,  an  expres- 
sion of  admiration  in  his  eyes  that  savored 
not  at  all  of  boldness.  "  I  think,"  he  said, 
"  that  I  shall  take  your  politics  for  granted 
and  attempt  the  solution  of  the  greater  puz- 
zle." 

"  Take  my  advice  and  don't  do  it,  Count 
Szalaki,"  cried  Ned.  "  Our  politics  are  laugh- 
able, but  our  American  girl  is — is 

"  Is  what,  Ned?"  asked  Kate,  with  mock 
cordiality. 

"  Is  dangerous,"  answered  her  brother. 
"  You  see,  count,  you  come  here  several 
years  too  late.  When  I  was  young,"  he  con- 
tinued, smilingly,  "  that  is,  about  two  years 
ago,  we  were  not  under  the  depressing  influ- 
ence of  the  New  Woman.  But  now  it  is 
different.  The  New  Woman " 


1 6  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

Count  Szalaki's  mobile  face  bore  an  ex- 
pression of  bewilderment. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  am  what 
you  call — puzzled.  I  have  not  heard  that 
expression  heretofore.  What  do  you  mean 
by  the  New  Woman?" 

"  Don't  speak,  Ned,"  cried  Kate,  implor- 
ingly. "  Let  me  tell  Count  Szalaki  what  the 
New  Woman  is." 

"  That  is  better,  Ned,"  remarked  Mr. 
Strong,  diplomatically.  "  It  would  be  unfair 
for  the  count  to  get  your  definition  first." 

"  I  really  think,"  put  in  Mrs.  Strong,  anx- 
iety in  her  voice,  "  that  we  ought  to  change 
the  subject." 

Count  Szalaki  glanced  at  her  with  a  mourn- 
ful smile  on  his  lips  and  a  pleading  glance  in 
his  eloquent  eyes. 

"  But,  Mrs.  Strong,  you  must  take  pity  on 
me.  Remember,  I  am  only  a  barbarian.  In 
my  country,  you  know,  we  go  very  slowly. 
We  cling  to  old  forms,  old  customs,  old  ideas. 
That  is  why  I  came  over  here.  I  wished  to 
broaden  my  mind  and  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  progress  of  the  age." 

"  Then  there  are  no  advanced  women  in 
Rexania?"  asked  Ned,  courteously. 

Count  Szalaki  seemed  to  wince  as  the 
name  of  his  fatherland  was  brought  into  the 
discussion.  Kate  afterward  said  that  he  ac- 
tually turned  pale. 

"  I  can  hardly  say  that,"  answered  their 
guest,  rather  sadly,  as  it  seemed.  "There 
are  women  there  who  are  discontented  with 
our  institutions,  who  are  desirous  of  changes 
in  all  directions.  I  was  only  a  boy  at  the 
time  of  the  great  outbreak  in  my  country, 
ten  years  ago,  but  I  remember  that  among 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    RZXANIA.          17 

the  rioters  were  many  women.  One  woman 
led  a  party  of  malcontents  who  attacked  the 
palace.  The  guards  were  preparing  to  shoot 
her,  when  I  saw  what  they  were  about  to  do 
and  ordered  them  to  lower  their  guns.  Five 
years  later,  I  was  thrown  from  my  horse 
while  hunting  in  a  forest,  not  far  from  Rex- 
opolis,  and  broke  my  arm.  I  was  carried 
to  a  hut  in  the  woods,  and  an  elderly  woman 
very  gently  cared  for  me  until  help  arrived 
from  the  palace.  Before  they  took  me  away, 
she  confided  to  me  that  she  was  the  rebel  who 
had  led  the  attack  on  the  palace  and  whose 
life  I  had  saved.  She  became  a  loyal  subject 
from  the  moment  I  gave  the  order  that  saved 
her  life.  She  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the 
king,  and  is  doing  good  service  in  keeping 
him  informed  of  the  doings  of  those  who  plot 
against  the  throne." 

An  expression  of  surprise  had  crossed  the 
faces  of  the  diners  at  their  guest's  tale. 

"Pardon  me,"  remarked  Ned,  as  the  count 
ceased  to  speak,  "  but  do  you  live  in  the  pal- 
ace at  Rexopolis?" 

If  Count  Szalaki  felt  any  annoyance  at  his 
own  loquacity  he  controlled  it  successfully. 
The  influence  of  his  surroundings  had  made 
him  quite  forget,  for  the  time  being,  that  he 
was  hiding  behind  an  incognito,  and  that  or- 
dinary prudence  demanded  that  he  should 
keep  his  secret.  With  a  strong  effort,  he 
succeeded  in  suppressing  all  signs  of  dismay 
at  his  unguarded  recklessness.  His  life  had 
tended  to  make  him  diplomatic,  but  his  na- 
ture was  frank  and  confiding,  and  he  was 
very  sensitive  to  his  environment.  "  Surely," 
he  thought,  "  these  hospitable,  kindly,  demo- 
cratic people  are  not  of  a  suspicious  charac- 

2 


l8  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

ter."  The  thought  reassured  him,  and  he 
said: 

"  I  have  a  relative  near  the  throne,  you 
know.  I  sometimes  spend  several  weeks 
with  him  at  the  palace." 

"Then  you  know  the  king?"  cried  Kate, 
interestedly.  "  I  have  read  so  much  about 
him.  And  the  crown  prince?  Is  he  as  hand- 
some as  the  newspapers  say  he  is?" 

It  was  an  embarrassing  question,  and  the 
prince  drank  a  half-glass  of  champagne  be- 
fore answering  his  fair  vis-&-ris. 

"  I  maybe  prejudiced  in  his  favor,"  he  said, 
at  length,  "  but  he  is  young  and  in  good 
health,  and,  I  think,  pleasing  to  the  eye." 
Then  he  added,  hurriedly,  "  But  I  am  here 
to  learn  all  about  this  country,  not  to  talk 
about  my  own.  Tell  me,  is  Chicago  far  from 
New  York?" 

The  conversation  gradually  drifted  into 
safer  channels,  and  Count  Szalaki  had  begun 
to  feel  that  his  indiscretion  had  given  him 
the  only  nervous  shock  that  he  would  experi- 
ence during  the  evening,  when  the  butler  ap- 
proached the  guest's  chair  and  said,  apolo- 
getically : 

"  Pardon  me,  monsieur,  but  this  note  has 
just  been  presented  at  the  door  by  a  man 
who  says  that  it  must  reach  you  at  once." 

Count  Szalaki's  face  flushed  and  then 
turned  very  pale.  His  hand  trembled  slight- 
ly as  he  took  the  envelope  from  the  out- 
stretched tray.  It  bore  the  name  he  had 
chosen  for  his  incognito,  and  in  the  corner 
were  written,  in  the  Rexanian  dialect,  the 
words  "  Important  and  immediate." 

"  Will  you  forgive  me,"  said  the  count, 
glancing  at  Mrs.  Strong,  "  if  I  open  this  at 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         19 

once?     There    seems   to    be   some  mystery 
about  it." 

His  hostess  smiled  and  bowed,  and  the 
youth  opened  the  missive  and  read  the  fol- 
lowing startling  sentences,  written,  like  the 
words  on  the  envelope,  in  the  purest  Rex- 
anian : 

"  YOUR  ROYAL  HIGHNESS, — A  great  danger 
threatens  you.  But  trust  to  us.  We  are 
your  friends.  Dismiss  your  carriage  on 
leaving  the  house,  and  walk  down  the  ave- 
nue. Two  men  will  join  you  who  love  you 
and  your  house.  We  are  under  oath  to  guard 
you  from  harm,  and  take  this  way  to  warn 
you.  In  the  name  of  Rexania,  be  prudent." 

The  letter  was  unsigned,  and  an  expres- 
sion of  consternation  and  perplexity  rested 
on  the  prince's  face  as  he  reread  the  note  and 
then  carefully  inserted  it  in  a  pocket  of  his 
waistcoat. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BY  a  strong  effort  of  will,  the  prince  con- 
trolled his  agitation,  and,  eying  the  butler 
keenly,  asked: 

"  Is  the  man  who  brought  this  note  await- 
ing an  answer?" 

"  No,  monsieur.     He  went  away  at  once." 

"Very  good!"  exclaimed  the  Rexanian. 
Then,  as  if  coming  suddenly  to  a  determi- 
nation, he  continued,  "  Will  you  kindly  dis- 
miss my  carriage?  I  will  walk  back  to  my 
hotel." 

After  Mrs.  Strong  and  Kate  had  left  the 
men  to  their  liqueurs  and  cigars,  Count  Szalaki, 
as  we  shall  continue  to  call  him,  turned  to 
his  host  and  asked : 

"Are  there  many  of  my  countrymen  in 
New  York,  Mr.  Strong?" 

"  I  was  telling  my  son  about  them  before 
you  arrived,"  answered  Mr.  Strong,  whose 
curiosity  was  greatly  excited  by  the  episode 
that  had  just  occurred.  "  There  are  a  few 
hundred  Rexanians  on  the  East  Side.  By 
the  way,  I  forgot  to  remind  you,  Ned,  that 
our  man  Rudolph  is  from  Rexopolis.  It 
slipped  my  mind  at  the  moment.  You  see, 
count,  I  have  dabbled  a  little  in  politics. 
After  an  election  a  few  years  ago,  a  Rex- 
anian who  had  made  some  political  speeches 
for  us  on  the  East  Side  applied  to  me  for 
w»ork.  It  happened  that  I  wanted  a  man  to 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         21 

live  in  the  lodge  of  our  old  homestead  up  in 
Westchester,  and  I  gave  Rudolph  the  place." 

"  He  has  served  you  well?"  asked  Count 
Szalaki,  whose  manner  still  gave  slight  evi- 
dences of  suppressed  excitement. 

"  He  has  been  very  faithful.  He  drinks  a 
little  too  much  brandy  now  and  then,  I  be- 
lieve," but  he  is  well  fitted  for  his  not  very 
onerous  duties.  You  see,  our  old  homestead 
— I  was  born  there,  as  my  grandfather  and 
father  were  before  me — has  been  allowed  to 
fall  into  disuse.  My  family  have  always  pre- 
ferred Newport  to  Westchester  in  summer, 
and  I  have  never  had  the  heart  to  sell  the 
place.  Rudolph's  duty  is  to  take  care  of  the 
house  and  grounds,  and  mine  to  resist  all 
temptation  to  sell  them." 

"  I  am  glad,"  remarked  Count  Szalaki, 
courteously,  "  that  one  of  my  people  has 
been  of  service  to  you.  But  tell  me  about 
these  few  hundred  Rexanians  on  the  East 
Side.  Are  they  quiet,  reputable  citizens? 
Do  they  give  you  any  trouble?" 

"  They  are  considered,  I  believe,"  answered 
Mr.  Strong,  carefully  weighing  his  words, 
"very  industrious  and  law-abiding  men; 
rather  clannish,  but  great  enthusiasts  re- 
garding our  form  of  government." 

Count  Szalaki  sipped  his  Chartreuse  medi- 
tatively. He  had  a  decision  to  make  that 
seemed  to  him  to  be  of  great  moment.  He 
was  placed  in  a  very  awkard  position.  The 
fact  that  there  were  men  in  the  city  who 
knew  his  name  and  his  rank  had  come  to 
him  as  a  stunning  blow.  It  had  been  a  great 
relief  to  him  to  get  away  from  Rexopolis,  a 
hotbed  of  intrigue  and  peril,  and  to  find  him- 
self in  a  great  city  in  which,  as  he  had  fondly 


22  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

believed,  he  could  come  and  go  without  a 
thought  of  danger  or  the  necessity  of  using 
any  especial  precautions.  And  now  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  he  had  been  confronted 
by  a  mystery  and  a  menace.  He  felt  a  curi- 
ous sensation  of  utter  helplessness,  a  desire 
for  advice,  and  the  certainty  that  there  was 
no  one  who  could  give  it  to  him.  Young 
though  he  was,  he  was  a  man  of  great  physi- 
cal and  moral  courage,  but  he  was  also  a 
youth  of  strong  imaginative  powrers,  and  the 
position  in  which  he  was  now  placed  ap- 
peared to  his  overwrought  mind  to  be  filled 
with  lurking  perils  against  which  he  could 
think  of  no  way  to  protect  himself.  Then 
his  mind  dwelt  upon  the  kind  and  loyal 
words  of  the  note  that  he  had  just  received, 
and  he  felt  impelled  to  put  his  trust  in  those 
who  had  sent  it  to  him.  The  people  of  Rex- 
ania  had  always  been  fond  of  the  crown 
prince :  when  he  had  appeared  to  the  crowds 
in  Rexopolis  the  cheers  had  ever  been  heart- 
felt and  inspiring,  and  the  youth  felt  sure 
that  the  mass  of  his  people  loved  him.  But 
there  were  schemers  and  rebels  among  them, 
as  he  well  knew,  and  the  feeling  had  been 
upon  him  for  years  that  at  any  moment  he 
might  meet  with  a  violent  death.  It  was  to 
get  a  few  months'  relief  from  this  oppressive 
sensation  that  he  had  come  to  the  New  World. 
It  was,  therefore,  a  bitter  disappointment  to 
find  that  even  in  the  land  of  universal  free- 
dom the  heir  to  a  throne  may  be  shadowed 
by  those  who  know  his  secret  and  who  may 
or  may  not  desire  his  destruction. 

If  Count  Szalaki  had  been  a  man  of  wider 
experience,  if  he  had  realized  that  conditions 
prevailing  in  Rexopolis  were  impossible  in 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXAN1A.         23 

New  York,  he  would  have  taken  steps  at  this 
crisis  that  would  have  solved  his  difficulties 
at  little  or  no  risk  to  himself.  A  frank  state- 
ment of  the  whole  affair  to  Gerald  Strong 
would  have  placed  the  Rexanian  prince  in 
perfect  touch  with  his  novel  environment. 
It  would  have  enabled  him  to  remove  the 
annoyances  that  threatened  him  as  easily  as 
the  wind  puts  a  fog  to  flight.  But  he  kept 
his  secret  to  himself,  and  thus  made  his  first 
great  blunder  in  a  series  of  missteps  that  were 
followed  by  consequences  affecting  a  vast 
multitude  ii;  Europe  and  a  good  many  people 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

As  they  rejoined  Mrs.  Strong  and  her 
daughter  in  the  drawing-room,  the  Rexanian 
made  a  great  effort  to  throw  off  the  depres- 
sion that  had  affected  his  spirits  while  he 
puffed  his  cigar. 

"  You  look  more  cheerful,  Count  Szalaki," 
remarked  Kate,  sympathetically.  "  I  hope 
you  have  received  no  bad  news?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  he  answered,  with  forced  gay- 
ety.  "  A  friend  is  awaiting  me  outside  to 
walk  to  my  hotel  with  me ;  and  I  fear  that  he 
is  a  bore." 

"  How  very  sad!"  commented  Kate,  while  the 
feeling  crept  over  her  that  here  was  a  man  who 
had  about  him  a  great  mystery.  It  was  the 
one  thing  lacking  to  make  him  irresistibly  fas- 
cinating to  a  girl  who  was  surfeited  with  men 
about  whom  there  was  nothing  new  to  learn. 

"  Perhaps,"  went  on  the  Rexanian,  brushing 
the  dark  locks  back  from  his  forehead  with 
a  white,  tapering  hand,  "  perhaps  you  will 
take  pity  on  me,  Miss  Strong,  arid  give  me 
courage  for  my  walk  to-night  by  the  prospect 
of  a  stroll  with  you  to-morrow  afternoon?" 


24  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

He  was  not  quite  sure  that,  even  in  the  land 
of  liberty,  this  proposition  would  be  consid- 
ered good  form,  but  his  mood  had  grown 
somewhat  reckless  under  the  pressure  of 
events. 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  Kate,  frankly.  "  It 
will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  show  you 
something  of  our  city.  I  shall  expect  you 
about  three  o'clock."  She  held  out  her  hand 
to  him  as  he  arose  to  make  his  adieux. 

Ned  Strong  had  succumbed,  as  had  his 
parents  and  sister,  to  the  magnetism  of  their 
guest. 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  look  you  up  to- 
morrow morning.  Count  Szalaki,"  he  said 
cordially.  "  If  you  are  fond  of  driving,  I'll 
stop  at  the  hotel  with  my  cart  before  noon." 

"That  is  "ery  charming,"  cried  the  Rex- 
anian.  "  You  have  all  been  so  kind  to  me. 
I  cannot  find  terms  in  which  to  express  my 
gratitude."  The  hand-clasp  he  gave  his  host 
and  hostess  proved  the  sincerity  of  his  words. 

He  was  gone,  and  Ned  Strong  stood  look- 
ing at  his  sister. 

"  You  promised  me,  Kate,'  he  said  play- 
fully, "  that  you  would  tell  me  what  you 
thought  of  him.  Now  is  the  appointed  time." 

"  I  think, "answered  Kate,  slowly,  "  I  think, 
Ned,  that  Count  Szalaki  is  a  delightful  man — 
who  is  in  very  great  trouble." 

"  Kate  is  right,  Gerald,"  commented  Mrs. 
Strong,  looking  at  her  husband.  "  What  do 
you  suppose  that  note  said?" 

"  I  can't  imagine,"  answered  Gerald  Strong, 
musingly.  "I  shall  cable  our  agent  at  Vi- 
enna in  the  morning  to  go  to  Rexopolis  and 
find  out  who  Count  Szalaki  is." 


CHAPTER  V. 

AT  seven  o'clock  that  evening  Posadowski 
and  Posnovitch  had  entered  an  elevated  car 
at  Houston  Street,  bound  up-town.  They 
were  dressed  with  more  regard  for  appear- 
ances than  usual.  On  their  faces  was  an  ex- 
pression of  suppressed  excitement,  and  their 
gestures,  as  they  talked  earnestly  in  their 
native  tongue,  indicated  that  they  had  a 
grave  matter  under  discussion. 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  that  I  have  done,"  said 
Posadowski,  after  they  were  seated.  "  Part 
of  it  you  know.  You  have  fixed  Rudolph, 
and  the  house  is  ready  for  us.  Did  he  give 
you  much  trouble?" 

"No,"  answered  Posnovitch.  "Give  Ru- 
dolph plenty  of  liquor,  a  little  money,  and 
appeal  to  his  patriotism,  and  he  is  an  easy 
tool  to  handle." 

"  Good !"  returned  Posadowski.  "  Now  I 
have  sworn  in  fifteen  men  who  have  agreed 
to  devote  their  time  for  the  next  few  weeks 
to  this  matter.  Eight  of  them  went  up  to 
Rudolph's  place  at  six  o'clock.  At  four 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning  they  will  be  re- 
lieved by  the  others.  I  have  arranged  the 
shifts  so  that  the  work  will  be  easy  for  all  of 
us." 

"  But  how,"  asked  Posnovitch,  eagerly, 
"  will  you  get  the  prince  to  leave  the  house 
alone?" 


26  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"I  know  the  man,"  answered  Posadcwski. 
"  I  am  depending  upon  his  pride  and  the  fact 
that  he  will  not  dare  to  make  a  confidant  of 
any  one  of  his  new  friends." 

"  How  did  you  learn  where  he  was  going  to 
dine?" 

"  That  was  not  difficult,"  answered  Posa- 
dowski  modestly.  "  I  heard  him  tell  the 
clerk  at  his  hotel  this  afternoon  to  send  any 
cable  despatch  that  came  for  him  this  even- 
ing to  No.  —  Fifth  Avenue.  I  telegraphed 
Rukacs,  in  cipher,  to  watch  the  house  and  to 
have  the  carriage  ready  for  us.  Svolak — I 
swore  him  in  this  morning — will  be  on  the 
box  alone.  There  is  only  one  thing  now  that 
can  defeat  our  scheme." 

"  And    that    is ?"    asked    the    gigantic 

Rexanian,  eagerly. 

"  The  refusal  of  the  prince  to  look  upon  us 
as  friends." 

"  He  will  be  suspicious,  of  course.  And 
we  can't  use  violence  on  Fifth  Avenue  in  the 
early  evening." 

Posadowski  smiled  confidently.  Taking  a 
letter  from  his  pocket,  he  handed  it  to  his 
companion.  It  was  a  short  note,  addressed 
to  "  My  Good  Friend  Posadowski,"  signed  by 
the  King  of  Rexania,  and  expressing  the 
gratitude  of  the  writer  for  services  performed 
by  the  recipient. 

"  It  is  easily  explained,"  remarked  the  arch- 
conspirator.  "  My  brother,  you  know,  was  a 
loyalist.  He  did  the  king  many  good  turns 
in  the  days  of  the  revolution.  When  my 
brother  died,  his  effects  were  sent  to  me ;  I 
found  this  letter  among  them.  The  Rexanian 
officials  on  the  border  are  sometimes  very 
careless.  Of  course  I  have  always  taken  good 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         27 

care  of  this  epistle.  I  had  a  feeling  that  it 
would  be  of  value  to  me  some  time  or  other. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  success  of  our 
plans  to-night  rests  on  the  king's  signature." 

"  You  heard  from  the  palace  to-day?" 

"  A  short  cable  despatch  in  cipher.  The 
king  is  restless;  his  physicians  are  worried 
about  him." 

"  Good ! "  cried  Posnovitch.  "  I  think  they 
have  good  cause  to  be.  Both  he  and  his 
kingdom  are  on  their  last  legs." 

"When  the  train  reached  Forty-seventh 
Street  the  two  Rexanians  made  a  hasty  exit 
and  hurried  down  the  stairs.  It  was  a  hot, 
close  night  in  September.  Somehow  the 
summer,  dissatisfied  with  its  career,  had 
impinged  upon  the  fall  and  was  now  en- 
gaged in  maliciously  breaking  a  record. 
The  sky  was  overhung  with  heavy  clouds, 
and  now  and  then  a  flash  of  lightning  glared 
through  the  streets. 

Posadowski  and  his  towering  companion 
turned  up  Fifth  Avenue,  and  after  a  short 
walk  were  accosted  by  Rukacs.  Pointing  to 
a  house  just  opposite  to  where  they  stood, 
he  said,  with  a  tremor  of  excitement  in  his 
voice : 

"  There's  where  he  is  dining.  He  has  been 
in  there  over  an  hour." 

"  Good !"  cried  Posadowski.  "  Wait  here 
until  I  rejoin  you." 

Crossing  the  street,  the  Rexanian  mounted 
the  steps  of  Gerald  Strong's  mansion,  rang 
the  bell,  and,  after  a  short  discussion  with 
the  attendant,  left  in  his  hands  the  note  that 
informed  the  prince  that  friends  awaited  him 
outside — a  note  that,  as  we  know,  he  received 
and  acted  upon. 


28  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

When  he  returned  to  the  sidewalk,  Posa- 
dowski,  noting  carefully  that  he  was  not 
being  watched  from  the  house,  approached 
the  carriage  that  was  awaiting  the  prince's 
exit. 

"  Listen,  Svolak,"  he  said  to  the  liveried 
driver,  who  had  dismounted  from  the  box. 
"  If  you  are  dismissed  by  an  order  from  the 
house,  drive  off  and  station  yourself  by  that 
corner  light,  half  a  block  down  the  street. 
Wait  there  until  you  get  another  order  from 
me.  Understand  me?" 

"Thoroughly,"  answered  Svolak,  remount- 
ing the  box. 

A  moment  later  Posadowski  had  rejoined 
Posnovitch  and  Rukacs  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street.  The  front  door  of  the  house 
opened;  the  hall  attendant  ran  down  the 
steps  and  gave  an  order  to  Svolak.  The  car- 
riage rattled  over  the  noisy  pavement  and 
made  its  way  down-town. 

"  All  goes  well,  my  brothers,"  cried  Posa- 
dowski, joyfully.  "  If  he  leaves  that  house 
alone,  no  power  on  earth  can  save  the  king- 
dom of  Rexania  from  destruction.  Never 
before  in  the  history  of  the  world  did  the 
birth  of  a  republic  depend  upon  whether  a 
guest  left  his  host  in  company  or  alone.  But 
that  is  just  how  the  crisis  stands  at  this  mo- 
ment. I  have  played  the  whole  game  on  the 
chance  that  the  prince  will  not  care  to  have 
his  new  friends  learn  his  secret.  I  believe 
that  he  will  come  out  to  us  alone.  If  he 
does,  success  is  in  our  hands.  If  he  doesn't, 
we  must  wait  for  another  chance." 

Time  went  by :  the  conspirators  grew  rest- 
less and  impatient.  So  much  was  at  stake 
on  the  opening  of  the  front  door  of  a  Fifth 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANJA.         29 

Avenue  mansion  that  they  were  appalled  by 
the  possibilities  suggested  by  the  line  of 
thought  Posadowski  had  struck  out.  It  was 
not  too  much  to  say  that  peace  or  war  in 
Europe  might  depend  upon  the  details  of  the 
next  exit  that  should  take  place  through  the 
entrance  that  glared  at  them  across  the  street. 

Suddenly  Posadowski  clutched  Rukacs' 
arm.  "  Here  he  comes,"  he  whispered. 
"  Walk  down  toward  the  carriage.  I  will 
join  him  at  once.  Let  me  do  the  talking. 
You  can  put  in  a  word  of  loyalty  at  first,  but 
keep  quiet  after  that.  Go !" 

On  the  steps  opposite  to  them  stood  the 
prince,  gazing  up  and  down  the  street,  as 
the  door  closed  behind  him.  There  for  a 
moment  he  paused,  the  incarnation  of  an 
anachronism,  a  youth  who  had  failed  to  con- 
ceal his  awful  crime  of  being  born  a  king. 
For  that  one  moment  he  stood,  poised  on  the 
brink  of  a  precipice,  while  Reaction  and 
Progress  trembled  in  the  balance.  Then 
slowly  he  descended  the  steps  and  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  Posadowski.  As 
he  scanned  his  fellow-countryman  search- 
ingly,  the  Crown  Prince  of  Rexania  felt  re- 
assured. 

"  Let  us  walk  down  the  avenue  together," 
said  Posadowski,  quietly,  purposely  avoiding 
the  young  man's  title.  "  I  have  much  to  say 
to  you,  and  friends  await  us  down  the  street." 

For  one  moment  the  prince  hesitated:  his 
eyes  sought  the  house  he  had  just  left,  as 
though  the  mansion  contained  something 
from  which  he  had  no  wish  to  part.  Then 
he  turned  and  accompanied  Posadowski  down 
the  avenue. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  THESE  men  are  your  friends  and  know 
your  secret,"  whispered  Posadowski  to  the 
prince,  as  they  approached  Rukacs  and  Pos- 
novitch,  who  were  standing  boldly  in  the 
glare  of  an  electric  light  by  the  side  of  the 
carriage. 

He  who  called  himself  Count  Szalaki  was 
somewhat  paler  than  usual,  but  his  step  was 
firm,  and  there  was  that  in  his  bearing  that 
caused  a  pang  of  regret  in  the  mind  of  his 
companion.  It  takes  a  very  hardened  con- 
spirator to  cast  youth  into  captivity  without 
a  touch  of  remorse. 

"Rukacs,  Posnovitch,"said  Posadowski,  in 
a  low  tone,  as  the  quartette  formed  by  the 
sidewalk's  edge,  "  you  know  who  this  man 
is.  What  is  our  duty  toward  him." 

"  To  protect  him  and  defend  him  with  our 
life-blood,  when  the  need  shall  come,"  an- 
swered Rukacs  and  Posnovitch  in  concert. 

Count  Szalaki's  dark  eyes  glowed  with  the 
effort  he  was  making  to  search  the  souls  of 
the  men  around  him. 

"  What  do  you  wish  from  me?"  he  asked 
haughtily,  withdrawing  himself  from  too 
close  contact  with  his  companions. 

"  We  have  no  time  to  lose,  your — your 
majesty,"  whispered  Posadowski,  impressive- 
ly. "  It  is  growing  late.  If  you  doubt  our 
sincerity,  a  short  drive  will  take  us  to  my 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         31 

rooms.  We  have  in  our  possession  letters 
and  diagrams  taken — to  be  frank  with  you — 
from  certain  of  our  countrymen  living  in  this 
city.  These  documents  will  prove  to  you 
that  a  plan  has  been  perfected  that  puts  your 
life  in  peril." 

"  Why  did  you  not  bring  the  papers  with 
you?"  asked  the  prince  suspiciously. 

"  It  would  have  been  a  reckless  thing  to 
do,"  answered  the  gigantic  Posnovitch. 

Posadowski  put  up  his  hand  deprecatingly. 

"  Allow  me  to  explain,"  he  said,  in  a  firm 
voice.  "  We  dare  not  let  this  evidence  leave 
our  hands.  It  would  cost  us  our  lives  if  your 
enemies  found  that  we  had  betrayed  them. 
And  they  are  very  keen-witted.  They  have 
placed  you  under  surveillance  at  your  hotel : 
if  you  examined  these  documents  at  your 
rooms  they  would  know  of  it,  and  our  efforts 
to  protect  you  would  be  vain." 

Count  Szalaki's  face  wore  an  expression  of 
bewilderment  and  uncertainty.  He  was  frank 
and  unsuspicious  by  nature,  but  the  atmos- 
phere of  a  court  had  done  much  to  destroy 
that  confidence  in  his  fellow-man  that  per- 
tained to  his  temperament  and  his  years. 
The  men  surrounding  him  impresed  him  fa- 
vorably. They  seemed  to  him  to  belong  to 
that  class  of  Rexanians — merchants  and  men 
of  affairs  who  desired  no  change  in  the  gov- 
ernment— who  had  always  been  in  Rexopolis 
the  firmest  friends  of  his  house.  But  he  hes- 
itated to  put  himself  in  their  power.  In  a 
strange  land,  surrounded  by  customs  and 
conditions  with  which  he  was  unfamiliar,  he 
began  to  feel  that  he  might  be  in  even 
greater  peril  than  that  which  surrounded 
him  at  all  times  in  the  palace  at  Rexopolis. 


32  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

It  was  simply  a  choice  between  two  evils 
that  confronted  him,  and  he  had  about  de- 
cided to  defy  the  danger  which,  he  had  been 
told,  menaced  him  from  a  general  conspir- 
acy, rather  than  place  himself  in  a  closed 
carriage  with  the  bewhiskered  men  at  his 
side,  when  Posadowski,  observing  the  prince's 
indecision,  said: 

"  It  is  not  surprising,  your  royal  highness, 
that  you  find  yourself  in  a  quandary.  We 
say  that  we  are  your  friends.  That  is  no 
proof  that  we  tell  the  truth.  But  time  is 
precious.  We  can  wait  no  longer.  I  will 
convince  you  on  the  instant  that  you  can 
trust  us." 

The  arch-conspirator  drew  a  letter  from  a 
pocket  in  his  coat. 

"  One  moment,"  he  said,  moving  nearer  to 
the  light,  with  the  letter  in  his  hand.  "  Is 
there  anything  familiar  to  you  in  my  face?" 

The  youth  from  whose  grasp  a  throne  was 
slipping  glanced  keenly  at  Posadowski 's 
countenance. 

"  Truly,"  he  said.  "  I  seem  to  have  seen 
your  face  before.  Your  name  is ?" 

"  Posadowski,"  answered  the  Rexanian. 

A  puzzled  expression  crossed  the  prince's 
face.  "  I  thought,"  he  said  musingly,  "  that 
Posadowski  died." 

"  I  did  not  die,"  cried  the  other.  "  I  left 
Rexania  and  came  to  this  city.  Time  presses. 
Here  is  a  letter  to  me  from  your  father.  It 
will  prove  to  you  that  I  have  always  been, 
as  I  am  to-night,  loyal  to  you  and  to  your 
house." 

The  prince  seized  the  letter  that  Posadow- 
ski had  read  to  Posnovitch  in  the  elevated 
train. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         33 

"It  is  enough,"  he  exclaimed,  smiling  cor- 
dially as  he  returned  the  epistle  to  Posadow- 
ski.  "  I  believe  that  you  are  my  friends.  If 
you  play  me  false,  great  will  be  your  punish- 
ment. If  you  are  true — and  I  think  you  are 
— your  reward  shall  be  worthy  of  my  father. 
Come !  Let  us  go." 

With  a  countenance  that  showed  intense 
relief  and  a  light  heart  that  beat  with  pleas- 
ure at  the  sight  in  that  distant  land  of  his  fa- 
ther's signature,  the  prince  entered  the  car- 
riage. He  was  followed  by  Posnovitch  and 
Posadowski,  who  took  the  seat  opposite  to 
the  crown  prince.  Rukacs  mounted  the  box 
beside  Svolak.  The  latter,  turning  his  horses 
around,  hit  them  a  clip  with  the  whip,  and 
the  vehicle  bounded  at  a  rapid  rate  up  the 
avenue. 

There  was  silence  inside  for  a  time.  Fi- 
nally the  prince,  taking  out  his  cigar-case, 
offered  it  to  the  men  in  front  of  him.  Posa- 
dowski refused  to  smoke,  but  Posnovitch  and 
the  prince  at  once  began  to  fill  the  vehicle 
with  the  fumes  of  tobacco.  The  latter  felt 
the  need  of  something  to  quiet  his  over- 
wrought nerves.  He  found  himself  in  a 
curious  state  of  mind.  Fully  did  he  realize 
that  it  was  incumbent  upon  him  to  keep  his 
attention  fixed  upon  his  companions  and  his 
surroundings,  for  the  position  in  which  he 
was  placed  had  revived  the  suspicions  that 
had  beset  him  before  he  had  read  his  father's 
note.  But,  try  as  he  might,  his  will  refused 
to  direct  the  current  of  his  thoughts.  He 
found  himself  dwelling  with  strange  pleasure 
on  the  events  of  the  evening.  The  face  of 
Kate  Strong,  with  its  clear-cut  features,  bril- 
liant eyes,  and  a  golden  glory  of  waving 

3 


34  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

hair,  smiled  at  him  in  the  darkness  and  made 
him  impatient  of  the  night.  He  had  come 
to  America  to  study  politics;  he  found  his 
whole  heart  and  mind  engrossed  with  a  girl 
he  had  seen  but  once,  and  whom  the  condi- 
tions of  his  birth  placed  as  far  out  of  his 
reach  as  if  he  had  been  born  an  African 
slave.  The  prerogatives  of  royalty  seemed 
to  him  at  that  moment  to  be  worthless.  That 
he  must  wed  for  policy,  not  for  love,  he  well 
knew,  and  a  spirit  of  rebellion  against  the 
hard  fate  that  had  made  him  a  crown  prince 
arose  in  his  soul.  He  puffed  his  cigar  ner- 
vously as  the  thought  forced  itself  upon  him 
that,  while  a  duke  might  many  an  Amerian 
girl,  a  king  could  not.  His  romantic  face 
grew  melancholy  as  his  revery  became  more 
sombre.  The  air  was  oppressive,  and  dis- 
tant thunder  added  to  the  dismal  influences 
surrounding  him. 

Suddenly  the  prince  aroused  himself.  Pull- 
ing out  his  watch,  he  saw  that  the  hour  was 
late.  The  carriage  at  that  moment  was  cross- 
ing a  long  bridge,  and  the  youth  caught  the 
gleam  of  lightning  as  it  was  reflected  from 
the  water  beneath  them.  His  forebodings 
instantly  reawakened.  The  carriage  had  left 
the  bridge  behind  it,  as  the  prince  placed  his 
hand  on  the  knob  of  the  door  and  said  sternly 
to  the  silent  conspirators  before  him : 

"  Stop  the  carriage.  I  wish  to  talk  to  you 
before  we  go  farther." 

A  revolver  in  the  firm  grasp  of  Posadowski 
gleamed,  as  the  lightning  flashed  again,  and 
the  prince  heard  a  harsh  voice  say  to  him : 

"Be  quiet!  Make  another  motion,  and 
there  will  be  one  king  less  in  the  world. 
Do  you  understand — now?" 


CHAPTER   VII. 

SURROUNDED  by  trees  and  haughtily  suc- 
cumbing to  decay,  an  ancient  mansion,  co- 
lonial in  style,  stands  half-way  between  the 
shore  of  Long  Island  Sound  and  the  old  post- 
road  to  Boston,  not  many  miles  from  Harlem 
Bridge.  On  the  most  brilliant  day  it  is  a 
gloomy,  ghostly-looking  structure,  and  the 
weed-choked  grounds  surrounding  the  house 
add  to  the  unattractiveness  of  a  spot  that  was 
once  pleasing  to  the  eye  and  noted  for  the 
elegance  of  the  hospitality  dispensed  by  those 
who  made  the  old  brick  homestead  a  cheery 
place  to  visit.  The  house  is  built  on  a  gen- 
erous plan.  A  wide  piazza,  supporting  white 
Corinthian  columns,  faces  the  lawn.  At  the 
back  of  the  house,  jutting  out  .from  the  sec- 
ond story,  is  a  large  balcony  commanding  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  Sound.  Inside  the 
structure  wide  halls,  enormous  drawing- 
rooms,  a  stately  dining-apartment,  and,  up- 
stairs, a  labyrinth  of  airy  sleeping-rooms, 
prove  that  their  former  occupants  were  fond 
of  luxury.  The  furniture  has  fallen  to 
pieces,  the  hangings  are  worn  and  dusty,  and 
the  partially  dismantled  house  seems  to 
breathe  a  protest  in  every  nook  and  corner 
against  the  negligence  that  has  allowed  its 
former  glories  to  lose  their  lustre  beneath 
the  iconoclastic  hand  of  time. 

It  was  an  especially  dreary  place  at  the 


36  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

moment  at  which  it  demands  our  attention. 
Surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  nothing  can  be 
seen  of  the  house  from  the  main  road  but  its 
sloping  roof  and  the  gable  windows  beneath 
it.  At  the  side  of  the  large  gateway  that 
makes  an  entrance  for  the  carriage-path  lead- 
ing up  to  the  mansion  is  a  small  cottage  that 
serves  as  a  modest  lodging  for  the  Rexan- 
ian,  Rudolph  Smolenski,  in  whose  charge 
the  Strongs'  homestead  had  been  placed 
some  years  previous  to  the  opening  of  this 
story. 

It  is  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  day 
has  made  a  tempestuous  entrance.  Light- 
ning flashes  across  the  waters  of  the  Sound, 
and  deep  peals  of  thunder  make  the  ground 
tremble  with  their  force.  The  rain,  after 
long  delay,  has  come  at  last,  and  beats  down 
upon  the  mansion  and  the  lodge  as  though 
it  would  wash  them  clean  of  all  relics  of  the 
past.  It  leaks  through  cracks  that  time  has 
made,  and  adds  to  the  moist  discomfort  of 
rooms  that  are  never  wholly  dry.  But  there 
are  unwonted  signs  of  cheer  in  the  mansion 
and  at  the  lodge.  There  are  gleams  of  mov- 
ing lights  that  meet  the  storm  as  it  beats 
against  the  shuttered  windows  of  the  old 
house,  and  a  steady  ray  defeats  the  darkness 
in  front  of  the  decaying  lodge. 

Let  us  enter  the  smaller  structure  first. 
Two  men  are  seated  at  a  table  in  the  front 
room  on  the  ground  floor.  An  oil  lamp  dimly 
illuminates  the  barely  furnished  apartment 
and  casts  weird  shadows  across  the  uncar- 
peted  floor.  One  of  these  men  we  have  met 
before.  It  is  the  impetuous  little  Ludovics, 
whose  patriotism  is  as  indiscreet  as  it  is  en- 
thusiastic. His  bright  beady  eyes  gleam  in 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         37 

the  half  light:  his  thin  face  is  flushed,  par- 
tially from  excitement,  but  in  a  larger  degree 
from  the  brandy  he  has  drunk. 

His  companion  is  Rudolph,  the  lodge- 
keeper,  a  flabby-faced,  thickset  man,  with 
heavy  features  and  the  look  of  one  who  en- 
joys soft  places  and  hard  liquor.  They  are 
bending  forward,  listening. 

"  It's  queer  they  don't  come, "Rudolph  re- 
marked, musingly.  "  I  hear  no  sound  of 
wheels.  Here,  man,  have  another  drop  to 
keep  you  awake."  He  filled  Ludovics'  glass 
from  the  bottle,  and  then  replenished  his 
own.  Rudolph  drank  like  one  who  needs 
renewed  vigor,  Ludovics  like  a  man  trying  to 
quench  the  fires  of  impatience. 

"I  hope,"  said  the  latter,  looking  search- 
ingly  at  Rudolph,  "  that  they  haven't  got  too 
much  of  this  stuff  up  at  the  house." 

"  Only  one  bottle,  this  size,"  answered  Ru- 
dolph, fingering  the  bottle  lovingly.  "  One 
quart  won't  do  much  harm  among  five  men. 
And  they'll  need  it,  I  tell  you.  That  old 
house  takes  water  like  a  sponge  on  a  night 
like  this.  J've  done  what  I  could  to  make  it 
comfortable  for  you  all,  but  I  wasn't  pre- 
pared for  a  flood  like  this." 

"  Hark,"  cried  Ludovics  nervously,  turn- 
ing an  ear  to  the  window :  "  I  thought  I  heard 
wheels." 

"They're  in  your  head,  Ludovics,"  re- 
marked Rudolph,  jocosely.  He  had  picked 
up  a  good  deal  of  slang  from  the  Westchester 
urchins  who  haunted  the  lodge  gate.  "  Come, 
light  a  cigar.  In  a  storm  like  this  it's  a  hard 
drive  after  they  leave  the  bridge.  I  don't 
expect  them  for  an  hour  yet." 

They  puffed  in  silence  for  a  time.     Finally 


38  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Ludovics  said,  with  suppressed  excitement 
in  his  voice : 

"  Rudolph,  you're  a  man  of  sense,  and  you 
love  the  cause.  Do  you  realize  the  full  sig- 
nificance of  this  night's  work?" 

The  lodge-keeper  turned  his  puffy,  pallid 
face  full  toward  his  guest  and  eyed  him 
keenly. 

"No,  Ludovics;  and  nobody  does.  It'll 
probably  cost  me  my  job." 

Ludovics  waved  his  hand  impatiently. 

"  I  don't  mean  that.  If  we  are  cautious,  I 
don't  see  how  you  can  get  into  trouble. 
What  I  mean  is  this:  we  are  to  have  the 
whole  political  future  of  our  fatherland,  the 
fate  of  dear  old  Rexania,  right  here  in  our 
grasp.  No  power  on  earth  can  despoil  us  of 
our  absolute  grip  upon  a  nation's  destiny  so 
long  as  the  crown  prince  is  within  our  con- 
trol. It  is  an  awful  responsibility  that  comes 
to  us  to-night,  Rudolph." 

The  speaker  glanced  searchingly  at  his 
companion.  He  would  have  given  a  great 
deal  to  know  how  much  of  an  impression  he 
was  making  on  the  phlegmatic  Rexanian, 
who  continued  to  drink  brandy  without  grow- 
ing one  whit  more  demonstrative.  Finally 
Rudolph  said,  as  a  tremendous  crash  of  thun- 
der died  away  in  bounding  echoes  across  the 
Sound : 

"  What  are  you  driving  at,  Ludovics?  Can't 
you  leave  the  brunt  of  the  business  to  Posa- 
dowski?" 

The  excitable  little  Rexanian  controlled 
his  agitation  with  an  effort.  "  He's  so  damned 
conservative,  Rudolph !"  he  cried.  "  I  believe 
he  thinks  he  can  persuade  Prince  Carlo  to 
abdicate,  even  if  the  king  does  not  die  while 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         39 

his  heir-apparent  is  cooped  up  here."  Then 
he  jumped  from  his  chair  and  strode  ner- 
vously up  and  down  the  room.  "  It's  all  non- 
sense !  Trying  to  compromise  with  a  mon- 
archy is  like  giving  your  wife  your  purse* 
you  get  the  leather  back  and  she  keeps  the 
money.  Rudolph," — and  here  the  little  man 
stood  still  and  glanced  piercingly  at  his  com- 
panion— "  no  monarchy  in  Europe  can  be 
turned  into  a  republic  unless  somebody, 
somewhere,  uses  heroic  measures." 

The  lodge-keeper  smiled  cautiously. 

"  Don't  you  call  kidnapping  a  traveller  in 
this  part  of  the  world  using  heroic  meas- 
ures?" 

Ludovics  flushed  angrily.  "  Only  fools," 
he  cried,  "  use  heroic  measures  that  are  not 
quite  heroic  enough.  Don't  be  stupid,  Ru 
dolph.  You  understand  me.  Pish!  how  I 
hate  half-baked  patriots!  We'd  have  won 
our  fight  ten  years  ago,  if  we  hadn't  had 
among  us  men  who  didn't  dare  take  advan- 
tage of  the  power  they  had  grasped.  The 
Rexanian  republic  must  never  be  lost  again 
because  we  revolutionists  aren't  equal  to  the 
crisis  that  confronts  us.  Do  you  think,"  he 
cried,  again  standing  in  front  of  Rudolph  and 
gesticulating  wildly,  "  do  you  think  I  care  for 
my  liberty  or  my  life  if  I  can  do  something 
that  will  give  my  country  freedom?  I  hate 
all  kings,  Rudolph.  Who  dare  say  to  me 
that  a  king  deserves  mercy  at  my  hands? 
Did  not  a  king  kill  my  father  and  banish  me 
from  the  land  of  my  birth?  Did  not  a  king 
seize  my  patrimony  and  leave  me  a  pauper, 
an  outcast,  a  man  without  a  country  and 
without  a  hope?  Mercy?  I  would  sooner 
give  meat  to  a  dog  that  bit  my  shins  than 


40  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

grant  life  to  a  king  whose  breast  was  at  my 
dagger's  end.  Do  you  know  me  now,  Ru- 
dolph? Do  you  read  my  heart?  I  tell  you, 
man,  the  night  outside  is  not  blacker  than 
my  soul  when  I  think  of  kings.  Kings! 
Kings !  They  say  God  made  them !  Then, 
by  God,  the  devil  shall  destroy  them.  Give 
me  more  brandy,  Rudolph.  The  storm  is 
working  in  my  blood!  Ha,  but  that  was  a 
glorious  flash!  The  sky's  own  fireworks 
light  the  coming  of  our  prince  to  our  little 
dove-cot." 

A  wild  crash  of  thunder  seemed  to  applaud 
the  madman's  words. 

"Keep  quiet,"  cried  Rudolph,  jumping  up 
and  placing  his  fat,  yellowish  hand  on  Lu- 
dovics'  arm.  "  I  hear  the  sound  of  wheels, 
Yes,  yes,  man,  I  am  right.  They  are  here." 

A  carriage  stopped  outside,  and  a  blow 
that  echoed  through  the  cottage  fell  on  the 
iron  gate  that  blocked  the  roadway. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

"  Go  back  to  the  city  at  once,  and  report 
here  to-morrow  afternoon  at  four  o'clock," 
said  Posadowski  to  Svolak,  the  gate  having 
been  opened  by  Rudolph  and  the  carriage 
drawn  up  in  front  of  the  lodge. 

The  arch-conspirator  had  left  Posnovitch 
to  guaid  the  crown  prince  inside  the  vehicle. 

"  Who  is  with  you?"  he  asked  hastily  of 
Rudolph,  as  he  placed  his  hand  on  the  handle 
of  the  carriage  door. 

"  Ludovics,"  whispered  the  lodge-keeper, 
very  softly.  "  Look  out  for  him.  He  is 
drunk  and  desperate." 

A  few  moments  later  the  four  Rexanians — 
Posadowski,  Posnovitch,  Rudolph,  and  Lud- 
ovics— surrounded  Prince  Carlo  in  the  parlor 
of  the  lodge.  The  prince's  face  was  pale, 
but  his  mouth  bore  a  determined  expression 
and  his  gleaming  eyes  did  not  flinch  as  he 
gazed  searchingly  at  his  captors  in  the  dim 
light  of  the  inhospitable  apartment. 

"  I  repeat,  your  royal  highness,"  said  Posa- 
dowski, impressively,  "  that  you  are  among 
friends  or  enemies  as  you  choose  to  make  us. 
We  are  your  friends  if  you  will  conform 
readily  to  our  wishes.  We  are  your  enemies 
if  you  offer  resistance." 

"Milk  and  water,"  muttered  Ludovics  sul- 
lenly. Posadowski  glanced  angrily  at  the 
overwrought  revolutionist,  but  said  nothing. 

"  I  am  to  understand,"  remarked  the  prince, 


42  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

haughtily,  "  that  I  am  your  prisoner,  and  that 
I  can  obtain  my  freedom  only  under  certain 
conditions." 

"  Precisely," answered  Posadowski.  "  Those 
conditions  we  will  outline  to  you  to-morrow. 
Rudolph,  is  his  highness'  apartment  ready 
for  him?" 

"  Yes ;  we  will  go  up  to  the  house  at  once, 
if  you  wish."  The  lodge-keeper  walked  to  a 
window  and  looked  out  into  the  night.  "  The 
rain  has  ceased,"  he  said.  Approaching 
Prince  Carlo,  he  asked,  with  marked  defer- 
ence, "  May  I  offer  you  some  brandy?  You 
have  had  a  hard  ride,  your  highness." 

The  prince  hesitated.  He  felt  cold,  and  a 
depression  of  spirits  that  had  not  affected 
him  in  the  carriage  overcame  him  at  this 
moment.  Courteous  as  these  men  were  to 
him,  he  realized  that  they  were  determined 
and  dangerous  characters,  the  ringleaders  in 
a  revolt  that,  ten  years  before,  had  made 
them  exiles.  That  they  would  take  every 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  that  chance 
and  his  own  short-sightedness  had  thrown 
in  their  way  he  well  knew.  But  of  all  the 
dismal  influences  that  surrounded  him  there 
was  none  that  affected  him  so  unpleasantly  as 
little  Ludovics'  gaze.  He  could  not  escape  it. 
Whichever  way  he  turned  his  face,  he  real- 
ized that  the  piercing  eyes  of  the  undersized 
Rexanian  were  upon  him,  pitiless,  revengeful, 
unflinching.  Meeting  Ludovics'  glance  as 
Rudolph  held  out  to  him  a  glass  half-full  of 
brandy,  a  chill  more  penetrating  than  any  he 
had  ever  felt  struck  to  the  prince's  marrow, 
and  he  drained  the  liquor  eagerly.  His  hand 
trembled  slightly  as  he  returned  the  glass  to 
Rudolph. 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         43 

"  Before  we  leave  this  place,"  said  Posa- 
dowski,  drawing  nearer  to  his  captive  and 
speaking  sternly,  "  you  must  understand  that 
you  are  absolutely  powerless.  The  guard 
around  you  night  and  day  will  render  escape 
impossible.  The  house  to  which  we  go  at 
once  has  long  been  deserted,  and  none  but 
a  few  tradesmen  ever  visit  this  lodge.  An 
exile  in  Siberia  is  no  farther  removed  from 
outside  aid  than  are  you,  Prince  Carlo  of 
Rexania.  But  do  not  imagine  for  an  instant 
that  your  life  is  in  the  slightest  danger.  You 
are  surrounded  by  your  own  countrymen,  by 
those  who  admire  you  personally,  while  they 
detest  the  institutions  you  represent — insti- 
tutions that,  I  can  well  imagine,  a  man  of 
your  age  and  intelligence  cannot,  in  his  heart 
of  hearts,  uphold." 

The  pale  cheeks  of  the  captive  prince 
turned  red  at  these  words.  He  drew  himself 
up  arrogantly,  and  the  spirit  of  a  regal  an- 
cestry gleamed  in  his  dark  eyes  as  they 
rested  defiantly  upon  the  first  man  who  had 
ever  dared  to  question  his  loyalty  to  mon- 
archy. 

"  Have  done !"  he  cried,  imperiously. 
"  Powerless  though  I  may  be,  there  are 
words  on  your  lips  that  I  must  refuse  to  hear." 

"  Coward !  coward !"  shrieked  Ludovics. 
"A  king  is  always  a  coward!  You're  afraid 
of  the  truth !  Coward !  Coward !" 

The  gigantic  Posnovitch  placed  his  hand 
over  the  dwarfish  drunkard's  mouth. 

"  Put  him  to  bed,  and  keep  him  there,  Pos- 
novitch," cried  Posadowski  savagely.  "  If 
he  makes  any  noise  thrash  him.  Come,  Ru- 
dolph, we  will  conduct  Prince  Carlo  to  his 
room." 


44  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

Ludovics  glared  madly  at  Posadowski. 
Twisting,  with  an  agility  begotten  by  alco- 
holic stimulants,  out  of  the  grasp  of  Posno- 
vitch,  he  made  a  dash  for  the  table,  and, 
seizing  the  brandy  bottle,  would  have  dashed 
it  against  the  head  of  the  crown  prince  if 
Rudolph  had  not  stayed  his  murderous  hand 
at  the  last  moment. 

"We  leave  him  to  you,"  said  the  lodge- 
keeper,  stolidly,  as  he  placed  the  struggling 
Ludovics  in  the  grip  of  Posnovitch  again. 
"  Don't  let  him  play  you  the  same  trick 
twice." 

With  Posadowski  on  one  side  of  him  and 
Rudolph  on  the  other  side,  Prince  Carlo  left 
the  lodge  and  turned  his  weary  steps  toward 
the  gloomy  house  at  the  end  of  the  drive- 
way. The  rain  no  longer  fell,  but  the  night 
was  black  and  oppressive,  and  now  and  again 
the  lightning  gleamed  fitfully  across  the  dis- 
tant waters  of  the  sound.  There  was  no  in- 
vigoration  in  the  atmosphere.  The  storm 
had  left  in  its  trail  a  moisture  that  seemed 
to  take  uncanny  pleasure  in  emphasizing  the 
heat.  But,  in  spite  of  all  this,  Prince  Carlo 
felt  again  that  grewsome  sensation  of  cold 
that  had  affected  his  nerves  in  the  rooms 
they  had  just  left.  As  the  trio  mounted  the 
broad  steps  that  led  to  the  piazza,  beneath 
which  gloomy  shadows  lurked,  this  feeling 
of  chilliness  increased,  and  it  was  only  by  a 
strong  effort  of  will  that  he  saved  himself 
from  trembling  beneath  the  grasp  of  his  con- 
ductors. 

Three  men  met  them  at  the  main  entrance. 
"  Silence !"  cried  Posadowski  to  the  Rexani- 
ans  in  the  hall-way.  "  Two  of  you  remain 
here.  We  will  go  up-stairs  at  once." 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         45 

One  of  the  conspirators  stalked  up  the 
broad  staircase  in  front  of  the  prince  and  his 
companions.  A  lamp  gleamed  dimly  at  the 
landing,  and,  grasping  it  as  he  turned  into 
the  upper  hall-way,  their  conductor  led  them 
through  a  doorway  into  a  large,  gloomy 
sleeping-room  at  the  rear  of  the  house.  The 
apartment  exhibited  signs  of  long  disuse, 
disguised  in  part  by  a  hasty  attempt  to  make 
it  inhabitable.  The  old-fashioned  bed  was 
made  up  with  linen  furnished  by  the  lodge- 
keeper.  The  faded  hangings  in  front  of  the 
windows  had  been  pulled  back  to  conceal 
their  tattered  condition,  and,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  damp  and  heavy  atmosphere  of  the 
room,  it  would  have  presented  many  welcome 
features  to  a  very  weary  man. 

"  Here  we  leave  you,  Prince  Carlo,"  re- 
marked Posadowski,  in  a  low  voice.  "  If  our 
hospitality  is  lacking  in  luxuries,  believe  me, 
it  is  not  our  fault.  I  assure  you  it  is  my  sin- 
cere hope  that  you  will  rest  well ;  for  there 
are  weighty  matters  to  be  decided  between 
us  to-morrow.  Good-night,  your  royal  high- 
ness; good-night." 

Prince  Carlo  bent  his  head  slightly  in  rec- 
ognition of  the  arch-conspirator's  last  words, 
and  on  the  instant  found  himself  alone.  The 
sound  of  a  closing  door  and  of  a  key  turned 
in  the  old-fashioned  lock  echoed  drearily 
through  the  house  as  the  prince  stepped  hur- 
riedly to  one  of  the  windows  and  attempted 
to  raise  it  to  air  the  room.  The  window  was 
locked.  What  it  meant  to  be  a  prisoner 
broke  darkly  upon  the  young  man's  mind, 
and  he  threw  himself  in  despair  upon  the 
bed  and  moaned  in  utter  misery. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ON  the  second  morning  after  the  crown 
prince's  abduction,  Gerald  Strong  and  his 
family  formed  themselves  at  breakfast  into 
what  Ned  called  "  a  committee  of  the  whole 
on  the  Szalaki  matter." 

"  I  received  a  cable  dispatch  late  yesterday 
afternoon,  dated  at  Rexopolis,  and  signed  by 
our  Vienna  agent,"  remarked  Strong  the 
elder,  glancing  rather  shamefacedly  at  Kate. 
"It  ran  as  follows:  'Szalaki  common  name. 
No  nobility.'  I  begin  to  fear  that  your 
mother  and  I  were  too  easily  affected  by 
pleasing  manners  and  a  handsome  face." 

"The  thing  looks  queer,"  exclaimed  Ned, 
emphatically.  "  When  I  drove  up  to  the 
hotel  yesterday  before  noon  a  curious  feel- 
ing came  over  me  that  I  would  not  find  the 
count.  When  I  asked  for  him  at  the  desk,  a 
peculiar  expression  rested  on  the  clerk's 
face,  and  he  looked  at  me  suspiciously. 
When  I  had  given  him  my  name,  he  seemed 
to  feel  more  confidence  in  me,  for  he  told  me 
that  Count  Szalaki  had  not  returned  to  the 
hotel  the  night  before.  About  an  hour  before 
I  reached  there  yesterday  morning  a  man  had 
given  the  clerk  a  note  from  Count  Szalaki, 
enclosing  the  amount  of  his  bill  and  direct- 
ing the  hotel  people  to  put  all  his  belongings 
in  the  care  of  the  bearer.  The  man  looked 
like  a  foreigner.  The  clerk  carefully  com- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         47 

pared  the  count's  signature  on  the  note  with 
his  name  on  the  hotel  register,  and  became 
satisfied  that  they  were  penned  by  the  same 
hand.  There  was  nothing  for  him  to  do,  of 
course,  but  to  obey  the  orders  contained  in 
the  note.  I  tell  you,  father,  it  looks  queer." 

Kate  Strong  had  said  nothing  after  seating 
herself  at  the  table,  but  her  face  showed  that 
she  was  intensely  interested  in  the  conversa- 
tion going  on  between  her  father  and  her 
brother.  Her  cheeks  were  paler  than  usual, 
and  dark  shadows  rested  beneath  her  eyes. 
She  ate  nothing,  and  sipped  her  coffee  lan- 
guidly. Ned's  emphatic  insistence  on  the 
"queerness"  of  the  whole  affair  seemed  to 
annoy  her,  for  she  exclaimed,  a  slight  tinge 
of  red  appearing  in  her  face : 

"  I  don't  believe,  Ned,  that  Count  Szalaki 
is  a  fraud.  It's  strange,  of  course,  that  he 
sent  me  no  word  of  apology  for  not  keeping 
his  engagement;  but,  somehow,  I  feel  sure 
that  there  is  an  adequate  explanation  for  his 
silence." 

"  But  you  forget  your  father's  cable  dis- 
spatch,  Kate,"  remarked  Mrs.  Strong,  coldly. 
She  suffered  intensely  at  the  idea  that  her 
boasted  knowledge  of  human  nature  had 
been  insufficient  to  protect  the  family  from 
an  impostor. 

"  Well,  well,"  exclaimed  Gerald  Strong, 
rather  testily,  as  he  motioned  to  the  butler 
to  hand  him  a  morning  newspaper,  "  no  great 
harm  is  done  even  if  Count  Szalaki  is  not 
what  he  appeared  to  be.  If  he  is  an  adven- 
turer, we  certainly  got  off  very  cheaply." 

Kate  Strong  did  not  wholy  agree  with  her 
father  in  this  conclusion.  She  was  dissatisfied 
with  herself,  and  weary  for  the  moment,  of 


48  KINGS  IN    ADVERSITY. 

her  environment.  Whatever  Count  Szalaki 
might  be — confidence  man,  rolling  stone, 
conspirator,  or  what  not — she  felt  that  he 
had  played  a  more  important  rdle  in  her  eyes 
than  either  he  or  her  family  realized.  How 
could  Count  Szalaki  or  her  people  know  that 
this  self-contained,  worldly-wise,  seemingly 
unimpressionable  New  York  girl,  who  had 
been  flattered  and  petted  and  obeyed  since 
her  nursery  days,  had  found  in  the  Rexanian 
the  incarnation  of  her  secret  dreams  of  ro- 
mance? How  could  they  realize  that  the 
very  mystery  that  placed  him  beyond  the 
pale  of  Gerald  Strong's  consideration  had 
but  added  to  the  fascination  that  his  memory 
exerted  over  the  girl?  Kate  was  not  by  tem- 
oerament  a  sickly  sentimental  woman,  but 
she  was  not  yet  too  old  or  world-worn  to 
dream  wild,  sweet  dreams,  and  to  long  for 
the  day  when  out  of  the  shadowland  of  com- 
monplace would  come  a  royal  youth  who 
would  lead  her  up  to  the  sun-kissed  palace 
of  love  and  mystery  that  crowns  the  distant 
mountain-top.  She  had  seen  Count  Szalaki 
but  once,  but  in  the  beauty  of  his  face  and 
the  soft,  almost  caressing  accent  of  his  voice 
she  had  found  reason  for  the  hope  that  her 
dreams  might  not  be  mockeries,  that  in  the 
land  of  reality  there  might  be  a  prince  who, 
kissing  the  lips  of  the  sleeping  maiden,  would 
awaken  her  to  a  life  that  should  satisfy  the 
longings  of  her  weary  soul.  All  this  she 
hardly  dared  to  admit  to  herself,  but  she  was 
honest  enough  in  her  self-communion  to  ac- 
knowledge that  Count  Szalaki  appealed  to 
her  imagination  as  no  man  heretofore  had 
touched  it.  It  hurt  her  pride  to  feel  that  her 
parents  and  brother  had  relegated  this  visitor 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         49 

from  her  land  of  dreams  to  the  limbo  in  which 
honest  people  placed  impostors.  As  she 
mused  silently  on  the  accusing  fact  that  had 
been  brought  to  her  notice  regarding  the 
youth  who  fulfilled  in  so  many  details  her 
ideal,  an  exclamation  of  surprise  from  her 
father  aroused  her  from  her  revery. 

"  Here's  a  long  despatch  in  the  Trumpet 
from  Rexopolis,"  exclaimed  Gerald  Strong, 
glancing  at  his  son.  "  Listen.  '  There  is 
much  suppressed  excitement  in  this  city. 
The  guards  at  the  palace  have  been  doubled, 
and  rumor  has  it  that  King  Sergius  III.  is 
dangerously  ill.  Premier  Fejeravy  was  seen 
by  your  correspondent  to-day,  but  refused  to 
admit  or  deny  the  truth  of  the  report.  One 
of  the  astonishing  features  of  the  situation 
lies  in  the  fact  that  the  Crown  Prince 
Carlo  has  not  appeared  in  public  for  some 
time  past.  It  has  been  his  custom  hereto- 
fore to  show  himself  to  the  people  whenever 
his  aged  father  was  indisposed.  This  has 
been  good  policy  on  his  part,  as  he  is  very 
popular,  and  there  is  always  talk  of  a  revo- 
lutionary outbreak  here  when  the  king  is 
threatened  with  death.  The  maintenance  of 
the  monarchy,  if  King  Sergius  should  die, 
rests  entirely  on  the  popularity  of  Prince 
Carlo,  as  the  undercurrent  of  feeling  in  favor 
of  a  republic  is  very  strong.  It  is  suspected 
that  France  and  Russia  would  not  be  opposed 
to  the  overthrow  of  the  reigning  house  and 
the  formation  of  a  Rexanian  republic.  There 
are  many  reasons  why  a  buffer  republic  at 
this  point  would  be  of  advantage  to  the 
Franco-Russian  coalition.  The  Rexanian 
army  has  been  greatly  strengthened  of  late 
years,  but  its  loyalty  to  the  crown  is  under 
4 


50  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

suspicion.  There  is  little  doubt  that  a  large 
number  of  the  rank  and  file,  and  a  few  of  the 
officers,  are  under  the  influence  of  republican 
ideas.  Under  these  conditions,  every  scrap 
of  news  from  the  palace  is  eagerly  awaited 
by  the  crowd  in  the  streets.  It  is  rumored 
at  this  writing  that  a  famous  specialist  from 
Paris  has  just  reached  the  city  and  is  being 
hurried  to  the  king's  bedside.  Business  is 
practically  at  a  standstill,  and  any  moment 
may  give  birth  to  events  in  this  city  that 
will  affect  the  whole  of  Europe.'" 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment.  At 
length  Ned  remarked: 

"  I  can't  make  anything  out  of  it,  father. 
I  am  free  to  admit  that  Count  Szalaki  im- 
pressed me  as  a  thorough  gentleman,  too 
young  and  unsophisticated  to  be  a  dangerous 
schemer.  But  he  comes  to  us,  and  while 
here  receives  a  note  that  affects  him  strange- 
ly. Then  he  disappears,  leaving  no  word  of 
apology  or  explanation  behind  him.  And 
now  we  learn  that  his  country  is  on  the  eve 
of  startling  events.  He  told  us  that  he  came 
here  to  study  our  institutions.  By  Jove,  I 
have  it,  father!  He  is  a  revolutionist,  and 
the  crisis  at  Rexopolis  has  called  him  back 
at  once.  I'll  bet  a  penny  that  he  sailed  for 
Europe  yesterday  morning !" 

Gerald  Strong  rose,  and  remarked,  indiffer- 
ently : 

"  Well,  well,  Ned,  you  may  be  right.  I 
should  prefer  to  learn  that  he  was  a  rebel 
and  not  a  rascal.  He  was  a  charming  boy. 
But  I  doubt  if  we  ever  hear  of  him  again. 
You  don't  look  well,  Kate.  You  must  get 
more  exercise." 

"  I'm  going  up  to  the  Country  Club  to-mor- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         51 

row  with  Ned,"  said  Kate,  smiling  at  her 
father  as  she  left  the  table.  "  We  will  take 
a  spin  on  our  wheels  and  be  back  here  for  a 
late  dinner.  Isn't  that  our  plan,  Ned?" 

"  I  believe  it  is,"  answered  her  brother. 
"  And  to-day  I  shall  try  to  find  out  what  has 
become  of  Count  Szalaki." 

The  young  man  did  not  know  that  the  ex- 
pression on  his  sister's  face  was  one  of  mingled 
gratitude  and  hope,  born  of  the  words  he 
had  iust  spoken. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  sun  had  peeped  above  the  island  to 
the  eastward  and  was  throwing  its  caressing 
rays  across  the  Sound.  The  storm  that  had 
chastised  the  waters  and  grumbled  its  way 
inland  had  left  a  smiling  daybreak  in  its 
track.  The  Crown  Prince  of  Rexania  still 
tossed  in  feverish  sleep  upon  his  bed  upstairs 
as  Posadowski  and  Posnovitch,  who  had  ob- 
tained a  short  but  thorough  rest,  stood  be- 
hind the  old  manor  house,  looking  out  upon 
the  golden  shimmer  that  gilded  the  tossing 
waters  of  the  Sound. 

"  There  is  only  one  way  to  deal  with  Ludo- 
vics,"said  Pcsadowski,  emphatically.  "  There 
is  a  great  risk  in  sending  him  back  to  the 
city,  but  I  dare  not  keep  him  here.  He's  a 
murderous  little  man  when  in  liquor,  and  our 
force  is  not  large  enough  to  keep  a  close 
watch  upon  him.  Now,  my  plan  is  this. 
When  the  prince  awakens,  I  will  persuade 
him  to  write  a  note  giving  you  authority  to 
get  his  belongings  at  the  hotel.  He  wouldn't 
be  thoroughly  comfortable  here  in  evening 
dress.  I  will  also  put  Ludovics  in  your 
charge.  You  must  take  him  to  the  city  and 
on  your  way  down  intimate  that  if  he  re- 
turns here  he  will  be  locked  up,  and  if  he 
plays  us  false  in  the  city  there  are  fourteen 
men  each  one  of  whom  will  swear  to  have 
his  life.  Do  you  understand  me,  Posnovitch? 
Good!  Go  and  call  him." 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.          53 

A  few  moments  later  Ludovics,  pale  and 
limp,  felt  the  cool,  morning  air  kissing  his 
fevered  cheeks.  He  stood  before  Posadow- 
ski  trembling,  repentant,  and  not  quite  clear 
in  his  mind.  He  vaguely  realized  that  he 
had  done  something  mutinous,  but  just  what 
it  was  he  could  not  remember. 

"  Ludovics,"  said  Posadowski,  sternly,  "  for 
the  sake  of  the  cause  you  love,  it  is  best  that 
you  should  accompany  Posnovitch  to  the 
city.  Don't  return  here  until  you  get  an 
order  from  me.  Understand?" 

The  small  man  trembled  with  nervousness, 
and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"Forgive  me,"  he  whispered.  "I  forget 
what  I  did  that  annoyed  you.  I  will  here- 
after do  as  you  wish.  Come,  Posnovitch," 
he  continued,  meekly,  "  I  am  ready  to  go 
with  you." 

"  There  is  no  hurry,"  remarked  Posadow- 
ski, more  gently  than  he  had  spoken  before. 
"  Posnovitch  will  have  to  wait  here  until  I 
get  a  note  for  him  from  the  crown  prince." 

Ludovics'  eyes  gleamed  as  the  name  of 
the  man  he  had  attempted  to  brain  with  a 
bottle  reached  his  ear.  He  gazed  about  him 
restlessly  for  a  moment,  and  then  said,  ear- 
nestly: 

"  Yes,  Posadowski,  you  are  right.  It  is 
better  that  I  should  go  back  to  New  York." 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  this 
day,  the  city  editor  of  the  Trumpet  sent  for  a 
reporter  named  Norman  Benedict,  a  discreet 
but  energetic  and  ambitious  youth,  whose 
record  in  the  office  was  high. 

"  Benedict,"  said  the  editor,  "  I  want  you  to 
read  this  cable  dispatch.  I  will  give  you 
your  orders  afterward." 


54  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

He  handed  the  reporter  a  proof  of  the  de- 
spatch from  Rexopolis  that  Gerald  Strong  on 
the  following  morning  was  to  read  to  his 
family  at  the  breakfast  table. 

"You  can  keep  the  proof  for  reference," 
said  the  city  editor,  as  the  young  man 
glanced  up  from  the  despatch.  "  Now,  I 
want  you  to  get  among  the  Rexanians  on  the 
East  Side  and  interview  those  who  are  will- 
ing to  talk.  They  may  be  close-mouthed, 
but  they  are  a  thirsty  crowd,  and  by  spend- 
ing a  little  money  on  them  you  will  be  able 
to  set  their  tongues  a-wagging.  Get  your 
copy  in  early.  I  want  to  make  as  good  a 
showing  as  possible  on  the  city  end  of  this 
Rexanian  business." 

Half  an  hour  later,  Norman  Benedict  was 
puffing  a  cigarette  in  the  restaurant  near  St. 
Mark's  Church,  in  which  the  reader  first  made 
the  acquaintance  of  the  Rexanian  conspira- 
tors. It  was  not  yet  four  o'clock,  and  the 
cafe  was  well-nigh  deserted.  In  one  corner 
of  the  room,  however,  sat  Ludovics,  sipping 
brandy  and  smoking  cigars.  He  felt  lonely, 
and  an  indistinct  impression  was  upon  him 
that  somebody,  somehow,  had  done  him  a 
great  wrong.  He  had  depended  upon  liquor 
to  clear  his  brain  and  to  restore  him  to  a 
thorough  comprehension  of  what  had  be- 
fallen him,  but  his  constitution  was  not  equal 
to  a  full  reaction,  and  the  more  brandy  he 
drank  the  more  acute  became  his  sense  of 
wrong  and  his  certainty  as  to  the  source  and 
character  of  the  injustice  that  had  been  done 
him.  There  were  two  ideas  in  his  mind  to 
which  he  clung  tenaciously,  and  which,  by 
persistent  nourishing,  had  become  to  his  dis- 
torted consciousness  facts  of  great  moment: 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         55 

he  had  been  ill-treated  by  a  king,  and  that 
king  was  entertaining  a  few  favored  guests, 
with  wild  revelry,  somewhere  up  in  West- 
chester  County. 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Benedict,  who  sus- 
pected that  Ludovics  was  a  Rexanian,  par- 
tially because  of  his  presence  in  the  restau- 
rant, but  in  a  larger  degree  on  account  of  the 
little  man's  peculiar  cast  of  countenance — 
"  pardon  me,  but  can  you  tell  me  where  I 
can  find  somebody  who  is  well  acquainted 
with  the  city  of  Rexopolis?" 

The  reporter  had  crossed  the  cafe  and 
seated  himself  at  the  table  at  which  Ludo- 
vics preserved  his  wrongs  in  brandy.  The 
disgraced  conspirator  glared  at  the  youth 
suspiciously.  Benedict's  frank,  smiling  face 
disarmed  distrust. 

"  Before  you  answer,"  went  on  the  repor- 
ter, "  permit  me  to  order  some  fresh  cigars, 
and — •  and — you  are  drinking?" 

"  Brandy,"  answered  Ludovics,  gratefully, 
for  his  supply  of  cash  was  beginning  to  get 
low. 

"Very  good!"  cried  Benedict.  "Waiter, 
bring  out  a  pint  of  your  choicest  cognac  and 
half  a  dozen  of  your  very  best  cigars." 

Ludovics  smiled  cordially.  He  liked  this 
open-handed  youth. 

"  You  are  from  Rexania?"  asked  Benedict, 
as  he  lighted  a  cigar  and  gazed  earnestly  at 
Ludovics'  flushed  face. 

"  Rexania !"  cried  the  latter,  hysterically. 
"Rexania!  Of  course  I'm  from  Rexania. 
And,  let  me  tell  you,  young  man,  I'm  going 
back  to  Rexania.  Did  you  say  the  king 
wouldn't  let  me?  You  lie,  young  man,  you 
lie !  He  can't  help  it.  How  can  a  dead  king 


56  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

keep  a  live  man  out  of  his  fatherland?  Tell 
me  that,  will  you?" 

Ludovics  paused  and  glanced  around  the 
deserted  room  suspiciously.  Then  he  again 
turned  his  eyes  to  the  sympathetic  face  of 
his  companion.  He  vaguely  felt  that  he 
should  stop  sipping  liquor  and  keep  his  reck- 
less tongue  quiet,  but  he  was  in  a  mood  that 
craved  expression,  and  Benedict's  cordial 
manner  was  very  soothing  to  the  over- 
wrought Rexanian.  The  reporter  had  been 
successful  in  his  profession  from  his  power 
of  allaying  suspicion  and  inspiring  confi- 
dence. 

"  But,  my  friend,"  suggested  Benedict, 
quietly,  "  the  king  is  not  yet  dead — though 
very  ill." 

Ludovics  looked  almost  sober  as  he  flashed 
an  eager  and  inquiring  glance  at  the  young 
man. 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  Have  you  heard 
from  Rexopolis?" 

Benedict  did  not  reply  for  a  moment.  He 
was  carefully  weighing  a  bold  step.  Should 
he  show  this  man  the  proof  of  the  cable  dis- 
patch he  carried  with  him?  "  He  will  be 
too  drunk  in  an  hour  to  sell  the  news  to  an- 
other paper,  even  if  he  knew  the  ropes  well 
enough  when  sober,"  reflected  Benedict,  as 
he  took  the  proof-slip  from  his  coat  and 
handed  it  to  Ludovics. 

The  effect  of  the  dispatch  on  the  Rexanian 
astonished  the  reporter.  The  little  man  ut- 
tered a  shout  of  triumph  and  then  glanced 
anxiously  around  the  room.  Seizing  his 
brandy-glass,  he  drained  it  to  the  bottom. 
Such  glimmerings  of  common  sense  as  had 
marked  his  conversation  up  to  this  point  de- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         57 

serted  him  on  the  instant.  His  disordered 
mind  fell  back  upon  the  idea  that  he  had  been 
wronged  by  a  king,  and  that  that  king  was 
holding  high  carnival  up  in  Westchester 
County. 

"  Young  man,"  he  said,  impressively,  a 
wild  gleam  in  his  restless  eyes,  "  I  don't 
know  who  you  are,  but  I'd  trust  you  with 
my  life.  Listen  !"  He  leaned  forward  across 
the  table  and  placed  a  clammy  hand  on  Bene- 
dict's arm.  "  Listen!  I've  been  drinking  too 
much:  haven't  I?  Don't  lie  to  me.  I  can 
see  it  in  your  face.  I'm  drunk,  and  you 
show  it.  That's  queer,  isn't  it?  But  I  could 
tell  you  something  that  would  make  you 
drunk  and  me  sober.  I'll  try  it.  Bend 
nearer  to  me.  They  don't  know  in  Rexania 
where  the  crown  prince  is.  The  king  is 
dying.  Damn  him!  let  him  die.  Look 
here,  boy,  I'd  kill  all  kings!  Wouldn't 
you?" 

The  intoxicated  Rexanian  gazed  suspU 
ciously  at  Benedict. 

"  Of  course  I  would,"  answered  the  re- 
porter, heartily.  A  conviction  had  come 
upon  him  that  the  little  drunkard  had  some- 
thing in  his  mind  that  was  not  altogether  an 
alcoholic  hallucination. 

"  I  knew  you  would,"  cried  Ludovics,  in 
delight.  "  You're  not  made  of  dough,  like — • 
like — well,  never  mind  their  names.  But 
look  here,  boy,  I  need  your  help.  There's  a 
king  up  in  Westchester — do  you  hear  me — • 
who  tried  to  take  my  life." 

Benedict  began  to  fear  that  he  had  been 
wasting  time  and  money  to  no  purpose  on 
this  madcap  foreigner,  when  the  latter  not- 
ing, with  drunken  slyness,  the  change  of  ex- 


58  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

pression  on  the  youth's  face,  felt  that  his 
pride  had  been  hurt. 

"  You  doubt  my  word,  boy,"  he  cried,  an- 
grily. "  I  don't  know  who  you  are,  or  what 
you  mean  by  trying  to  find  out  what  I  mean. 
But  I'm  telling  you  the  truth.  We've  got 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Rexaniaupin  Westches- 

ter,  and — and "  A  look  of  horror  crossed 

Ludovics'  face  as  he  realized  what  he  had 
done.  He  trembled  violently,  and  the  tears 
poured  down  his  cheeks. 

"  Let  me  have  some  more  brandy,"  he  im- 
plored, in  a  weak  voice,  but  before  the  waiter 
could  get  it  for  him  he  had  fallen  forward 
on  to  the  table  and  into  a  deep  stupor. 

Norman  Benedict  arose,  and,  giving  the 
waiter  a  bill,  directed  him  to  see  to  it  that 
the  Rexanian  was  cared  for  until  the  next 
day,  when  he  would  look  in  upon  him.  Then 
he  hastily  left  the  restaurant  and  strode  ea- 
gerly away.  Whether  he  had  received  a 
newspaper  "  tip"  of  great  value  or  only  the 
dregs  of  a  drunkard's  mind  he  was  not  sure. 
But  there  had  been  something  in  the  words 
and  manner  of  the  brandy-soaked  Rexanian 
that  strongly  impressed  Benedict  with  the 
idea  that  he  could  not  afford  wholly  to  neg- 
lect the  hint  that  had  been  thrown  out.  The 
dispatch  from  Rexopolis  said  that  the  crown 
prince  had  not  been  seen  for  weeks.  Bene- 
dict turned  cold  at  the  tremendous  possi- 
bilities suggested  by  the  thoughts  that 
crowded  through  his  brain. 

"I'll  abandon  the  interviews  and  run  my 
risk,"  he  finally  decided.  "My  first  step  is 
to  find  out  if  there  are  any  Rexanians  living 
in  Westchester  County.  That  ought  to  be 
easy.  I'll  try  the  office  first." 


CHAPTER   XI. 

AT  the  moment  at  which  Norman  Benedict 
had  come  to  the  decision  recorded  at  the 
close  of  the  preceding^  chapter,- a  ceremony 
unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  New 
World  had  reached  a  crisis  in  Westchester 
County.  Rudolph,  the  lodge  -  keeper,  who 
was  more  thoroughly  Americanized  than  his 
fellow  -  Rexanians — perhaps  because  of  his 
long  association  with  the  stray  urchins  who 
haunted  the  lodge  gate — had  characterized 
this  function  to  his  fellow-conspirators  as  the 
"putting  of  a  disorderly  king  through  the 
third  degree." 

Rudolph's  phrase,  however,  was  not  quite 
accurate,  for  Prince  Carlo  of  Rexania,  far 
from  being  disorderly,  had  become  con- 
vinced, after  thoroughly  investigating  his 
environment  and  weighing  the  possibility  of 
escape,  that  his  only  hope  lay  in  a  diplomatic 
concession,  for  the  time  being,  to  his  cap- 
tors' wishes.  It  was  not  lack  of  courage  and 
daring  that  had  caused  him  to  reach  this  con- 
clusion. He  possessed  not  only  a  bold  heart 
but  a  clear  head.  But  he  fully  realized  that 
at  the  present  stage  of  the  game  his  oppo- 
nents held  all  the  trumps.  Examining  his 
belongings,  after  his  luggage  had  reached  his 
room,  he  found  that  all  his  money  had  been 
taken  from  him.  Even  the  loose  change  that 
he  had  carried  with  him  on  the  night  of  his 


60  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

capture  had  been  removed  from  his  pockets 
while  he  slept. 

Just  how  far  he  had  been  carried  from  New 
York  he  did  not  know.  He  realized  clearly 
enough,  however,  that,  without  money  and 
unacquainted  with  the  customs  of  the  coun- 
try, he  would  be  in  a  most  embarrassing  po- 
sition even  if  he  could  elude  his  vigilant 
guards  and  escape  to  the  city.  He  had  sworn 
to  his  father  to  preserve  his  incognito,  and 
to  keep  from  Rexan^an  consular  and  diplo- 
matic agents  the  knowledge  of  his  absence 
from  his  native  land.  Prince  Carlo  was  at 
heart  a  loyal  reactionist,  and,  having  pledged 
his  royal  word  to  his  royal  father,  it  never  oc- 
curred to  him  that  circumstances  might  arise 
that  would  make  the  breaking  of  his  promise 
justifiable.  He  possessed  a  kingly  regard  for 
truth  that  was  absurdly  quixotic,  and  which 
hampered  him  in  dealing  with  men  who  had 
had  considerable  experience  in  American 
politics. 

Shortly  after  three  o'clock  on  the  afternoon 
that  found  Ludovics  too  loquacious  and  a 
newspaper  reporter  quite  worthy  of  his 
profession,  the  balcony  jutting  out  from 
Prince  Carlo's  sleeping  apartments  and 
overlooking  the  Sound  served  as  a  stage 
for  a  one-act  melodrama  that  might  find 
its  place,  perhaps  as  a  curtain-raiser  to  a 
tragedy. 

Kings  there  have  been  who  sought  the 
New  World  as  an  asylum  from  the  dangers 
that  surrounded  them  at  home.  Crowned 
heads  in  Europe  have  bowed  in  sorrow  over 
events  that  have  taken  place  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic.  Wherever  monarchs  rule,  the 
very  name  of  America  sends  a  shudder 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         6 1 

through  the  palace  that  shakes  the  throne 
itself.  But  never  before,  in  the  strange, 
weird  history  of  human  progress,  had  a  cap- 
tive king  gazed  at  the  blue  waters  of  Long 
Island  Sound  and  listened  to  the  burning 
words  of  those  who  denied  his  divine  right 
to  rule. 

"It  is  well,"  said  Posadowski,  glancing 
kindly  at  Prince  Carlo,  who  was  seated  in 
an  old-fashioned  easy-chair,  around  which 
the  arch-conspirator  and  his  colleagues,  Pos- 
novitch,  Rukacs,  and  Rudolph,  had  grouped 
themselves,  "  it  is  well  that  we  should  come 
to  an  understanding  as  quickly  as  possible. 
And,  before  we  go  a  step  farther,  let  me  re- 
iterate and  emphasize  what  I  have  told  yon 
once  before,  that  there  is  not  one  of  us  here 
who  does  not  feel  kindly  toward  you  as  a 
man.  We  are  determined  that  no  harm  shall 
befall  your  person.  But  we  are  bound,  also, 
by  another  oath.  You  must  know  by  this 
time  what  it  is.  We  have  sworn  that  you, 
Prince  Carlo,  shall  never  mount  the  throne 
of  Rexania." 

The  youth,  whose  clear-cut  face  was  pale 
and  drawn,  gazed  musingly  at  the  blue  wa- 
ters that  grew  gloriously  cerulean  as  the  au- 
tumnal sun  crept  westward.  Brushing  the 
black  curling  locks  back  from  his  troubled 
brow,  he  seemed  to  invoke  the  God  of  his 
fathers  to  give  him  strength  in  his  hour  of 
trial. 

"  What  would  you  have  me  do?"  he  asked, 
firmly.  "  State  clearly  your  wishes." 

Posadowski's  face  was  almost  benignant, 
as  his  eyes  rested  sorrowfully  on  the  dis- 
turbed countenance  of  the  prince. 

"  I  regret  to  tell  you,  Prince  Carlo,  that 


62  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

your  father  is  very  dangerously  ill,"  said  the 
arch-conspirator,  gently. 

The  young  man  sprang  up  from  his  seat  in 
dismay. 

"  My  God !"  he  cried,  "  can  you  find  the 
heart  to  lie  to  me  at  such  a  time  as  this? 
My  father,  the  king,  is  not  ill.  You  are  de- 
ceiving me,  for  some  purpose  I  cannot 
grasp." 

Posadowski  drew  himself  up  to  his  full 
height  and  gazed  at  the  prince  with  wounded 
dignity. 

"  I  do  not  lie  to  you,  Prince  Carlo,"  he  said 
firmly,  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  received  a  cable 
dispatch  in  cipher  direct  from  the  palace 
this  morning." 

Prince  Carlo  had  sunk  back  into  his  chair, 
and  was  glancing  feverishly  from  one  Rex- 
anian  to  another,  seemingly  in  the  hope  that 
one  of  them  would  come  to  his  aid  and  give 
the  lie  to  Posadowski.  But  there  was  that 
in  the  faces  and  manner  of  the  men  sur- 
rounding him  that  slowly  but  surely  im- 
pressed him  with  the  conviction  that  he  was 
not  again  a  victim  of  subterfuge — that  what 
Posadowski  had  told  him  was  indeed  the 
truth. 

The  youth's  hand  trembled  and  his  cheeks 
burned  as  he  felt  the  tears  welling  from  his 
eyes.  Recovering  himself  instantly,  he  gazed 
earnestly  at  Posadowski,  as  though  he  would 
read  the  man's  very  soul. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  are  in 
communication  with  the  palace  at  Rexopo- 
lis?" 

"  I  am,"  answered  the  arch-conspirator, 
simply.  "  I  have  been  for  some  years 
past." 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.          63 

The  prince  forgot  for  a  moment  that  he 
was  anything  but  a  son,  soon  to  be  father- 
less, a  son  who  had  not  been  too  loyal  or 
obedient  at  the  end. 

"  Tell  me — tell  me,"  he  implored,  "  is  there 
no  hope?  Are  you  sure?" 

"  There  is  no  hope,  Prince  Carlo,  unless  a 
famous  specialist  from  Paris  can  perform  a 
miracle.  To-morrow  I  shall  know  what  this 
man  has  done  for  the  king." 

A  sob  broke  from  the  overburdened  heart 
of  the  youth,  and  tears  of  honest  sympathy 
filled  the  eyes  of  his  countrymen.  Suddenly 
Prince  Carlo  sprang  up,  his  face  ghastly  in 
its  pallor  and  his  eyes  aglow  with  the  fervor 
of  his  hope. 

"  You  will  let  me  go  to  him?  My  coun- 
trymen, for  the  love  of  God,  for  the  love 
you  bore  your  fathers,  let  me  go  to  him !  I 
must — I  must  see  him  before  he  dies." 

Posadowski's  lips  trembled  and  his  voice 
faltered,  as  he  said,  "  We  cannot  let  you  go, 

Prince  Carlo  unless — unless "  His  voice 

failed  him. 

"  Unless  what?"  whispered  the  prince  ea- 
gerly. 

"  Unless  you  will  promise  us  to  abdicate 
the  instant  your  father  dies." 

A  dazed  look  settled  on  the  youth's  face 
for  an  instant. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  he  asked, 
hoarsely,  "  that  you  would  take  my  word  for 
such  a  thing  as  that?" 

A  murmur  born  of  suppressed  excitement, 
perhaps  of  protest,  broke  from  the  conspira- 
tors, but  Posadowski  raised  his  hand  for 
silence. 

"  We  would  take  your  word,  Prince  Carlo. 


64  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

There  is  not  a  Rexanian  in  all  the  world 
who  would  not." 

The  youth's  face  twitched  with  the  effort 
he  made  to  suppress  the  emotion  of  mingled 
astonishment  and  gratitude  that  filled  his 
soul. 

"  And  yet,"  he  cried,  "  you  would  take  from 
me  my  throne,  deny  my  right  to  lead  the 
people  I  love,  who  love  me !  What  madness 
blinds  your  eyes?  Would  you  bring  ruin  on 
the  land  you  pretend  to  cherish?  Think  you 
that  there  is  in  Rexania  a  republican  leader 
whose  word  you  would  accept  as  you  would 
take  mine?  But  I  am  too  deeply  grieved  at 
the  news  you  give  me  to  argue  with  you 
now.  Plain  as  your  inconsistency  is  to  my 
eyes,  this  is  not  the  time  to  point  it  out  to 
you.  Please  leave  me  for  a  while.  I  must 
think — think — think.  Wait  just  one  moment. 
Do  not  leave  me  with  a  false  hope  in  your 
heart.  Though  my  father — God  be  with 
him ! — were  dying  a  thousand  deaths,  I 
would  not,  could  not,  blindly  sacrifice  the 
trust  that  falls  to  my  care  to  gratify  your 
will,  and  gain  my  worthless  freedom.  Bet- 
ter for  me,  better  for  you,  better  for  Rex- 
ania, that  I  sink  beneath  the  waters  of  yonder 
sun-kissed  sea  than  go  hence  a  false  and 
recreant  prince,  damned  for  all  time  as  a 
traitor,  a  coward,  a  renegade.  Leave  me 
to  my  sorrow  and  my  tears.  Go,  and  may 
the  God  that  loves  our  fatherland  speak  to 
your  hard  hearts  and  lead  you  from  the  error 
of  your  ways.  Go !" 

Silently  the  four  conspirators  turned 
and  left  Prince  Carlo  to  his  lonely  grief. 
Their  faces  were  pale  with  the  conflict- 
ing emotions  that  tried  their  souls.  The 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         65 

gigantic  Posnovitch    trembled,    as    if    with 
cold. 

"  He's  grand,"  he  muttered,  as  the  quar- 
tette reached  the  lower  hall.  "  He's  every 
inch  a  king." 

5 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WILL  the  reader  permit  us  to  place  him 
somewhere  between  earth  and  sky  two  days 
after  the  events  recorded  in  the  last  chapter 
had  occurred?  From  this  exalted  position, 
and  provided,  as  he  is,  with  far-seeing  eyes, 
he  must  observe,  with  more  or  less  interest, 
that  the  streets  of  Rexopolis,  the  capital  of 
Rexania,  are  thronged  with  crowds  of  people 
who  move  hither  and  thither  with  a  restless- 
ness apparently  due  to  constrained  excite- 
ment that  has  not  yet  crystallized  into  any 
set  purpose.  Around  the  palace,  he  will 
notice,  regiments  of  soldiers  stand  on  guard, 
while,  now  and  then,  up  or  down  the  ave- 
nues of  the  well-laid-out  city  dash  squadrons 
of  light  cavalry.  The  sight  will  suggest  to 
him  that  Rexopolis,  at  the  crisis  at  which  he 
views  it,  represents  a  microcosm  in  which  all 
that  is  characteristic  of  Old-World  monar- 
chies finds  physical  expression — a  restless 
and  discontented  people,  an  army  half- 
hearted in  its  defence  of  the  palace  and  what 
that  building  represents,  mystery  and  mis- 
representation and  misery  inside  the  king's 
abode,  and  the  wild  mutterings  of  protest 
and  warning  outside  the  sacred  precincts  of 
an  anachronistic  cult. 

But  it  strains  the  reader's  eyes  to  look  so 
far  afield.  Back  across  the  wide  blue  ex- 
panse of  the  broad  Atlantic  his  gaze  returns, 
and  straight  beneath  him  he  sees  various  peo- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         6^ 

pie  who  approach  each  other  slowly,  igno- 
rant of  the  strange  fact  that  the  impending 
upheaval  in  a  minor  city  of  Europe  is  to 
have  a  marked  influence  upon  their  respec- 
tive lives. 

Behold  Ludovics,  the  restless  victim  of  too 
much  patriotism  and  too  little  self-control, 
pausing  in  helpless  hesitation  outside  the 
gateway  of  a  road-house  not  many  miles 
above  Harlem  Bridge.  The  afternoon  has 
grown  warm,  and  Ludovics  has  walked  far 
and  fast.  Is  it  strange  that  he  craves  a 
stimulant? 

Look  forward,  farther  eastward.  If  your 
eye  has  not  grown  weary,  you  will  observe 
that  a  youth  and  two  women  are  seated  on 
the  piazza  of  the  Country  Club,  engaged  in 
the  harmless  occupation  of  discussing  the 
adaptability  of  the  weather  and  the  roads  to 
a  spin  on  their  wheels.  Unless  our  impres- 
sions are  deceptive,  the  youth  is  Ned  Strong, 
and  one  of  the  women  is  his  sister.  You 
have  not  yet  been  introduced  to  their  com- 
panion, Mrs.  Brevoort,  but  surely  you  have 
heard  of  the  beautiful  widow  who  last  season 
made  herself  famous  on  two  continents  by 
refusing  to  turn  over  to  an  English  peer  her 
fortune  and  her  liberty.  There  are  those  who 
say  that  she  was  sufficiently  eccentric  to  love 
her  husband  and  to  mourn  him  dead,  but  the 
impression  has  prevailed  in  the  Westchester 
set  of  late  that  what  an  English  duke  failed 
to  accomplish  Ned  Strong  bids  fair  to  com- 
pass. 

Turning  your  gaze  away  from  this  attrac- 
tive trio,  after  you  have  noted,  perhaps,  that 
an  air  of  melancholy  seems  to  surround  the 
tall,  lithe  figure  of  Kate  Strong,  you  will  ob- 


68  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

serve  that  Norman  Benedict  has  just  left  a 
New  York  train  at  the  New  Rochelle  station, 
and  that  his  face  bears  an  expression  of  sup- 
pressed excitement  kept  in  check  by  a  set 
purpose  that  may  at  any  moment  encounter 
insuperable  obstacles.  If  you  watch  him  a 
moment,  you  will  see  that  he  bargains  with 
the  driver  of  a  light,  open  carriage,  and,  after 
making  terms,  enters  the  vehicle  and  is 
driven  toward  the  Sound. 

Has  your  eye  grown  weary?  Surely  Prince 
Carlo  is  worthy  of  a  little  optic  effort  on  your 
part.  See  him  seated  on  the  balcony  of  the 
ramshackle  old  manor  house,  his  cheek  rest- 
ing on  his  hand  as  he  gazes  mournfully  across 
the  restless  waves  of  the  Sound  and  wonders 
what  passes  in  the  palace  at  Rexopolis. 
Could  he  see,  as  we  have  seen,  the  restless 
populace,  the  armed  guards,  the  busy  cav- 
alry, he  would  know  that  a  crisis  in  the  fate 
of  his  country  is  at  hand,  and  the  look  of 
settled  melancholy  on  his  handsome  face 
would  change  to  an  expression  of  mingled 
anger  and  despair.  But  Prince  Carlo  is 
young,  and  youth  inclines  to  hope.  The 
beauty  of  the  scene  that  lies  before  him  on 
this  bracing  autumnal  afternoon  is  conducive 
to  an  optimistic  mood,  and,  in  spite  of  the 
seemingly  desperate  character  of  his  position, 
the  young  man  dreams  rather  of  love  than 
war,  and  the  smiling  face  of  a  fair-haired 
American  girl  comes  between  him  and  the 
frowning  countenance  of  red-scarred  revolu- 
tion. 

Perhaps  Prince  Carlo  is  undergoing  a  temp- 
tation different  from  any  that  ever  before 
assaulted  a  son  of  kings.  It  is  possible  that 
under  the  influence  of  a  caressing  environ- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         6g 

metit,  lulling  his  senses  by  the  beauty  of 
earth,  and  sea  and  sky  and  the  gentle  kisses 
of  the  warm  south  wind,  he  thinks  with  a 
shudder  of  the  horrors  that  surround  him  in 
a  palace  far  away,  and  longs  for  the  peace 
that  life  in  a  land  where  it  would  be  "  always 
afternoon"  would  bestow.  What  if  his  father 
died  and  he,  the  crown  prince,  should  never 
return  to  Rexania?  What  if,  taking  to  his 
heart  a  wife  who  would  be  his  queen  in  a 
kingdom  where  no  traitors  lurked,  he  should 
forever  abandon  the  cares  and  perils  that  had 
made  his  father's  existence  one  long  night- 
mare, to  which  death  alone  could  bring  relief? 
It  might  be  that  the  historians  of  his  country 
would  call  him,  in  the  years  to  come,  a  traitor 
to  the  cause  he  had  been  born  into  the  world 
to  uphold,  the  Judas  Iscariot  of  age-end  mon- 
archy. But,  for  all  that,  his  gain  would  be 
peace  and  love. 

Prince  Carlo's  temptation  was  not  a  mere 
weighing  of  abstract  propositions,  nor  even 
the  natural  inclination  of  an  imaginative 
youth  to  take  the  flower-bedecked  path  of 
least  resistance.  There  was  an  influence  at 
work  to  make  him  subservient  to  the  wishes 
of  the  men  surrounding  him  that  none  of 
them  suspected  and  that  he  himself  only 
vaguely  realized.  How  great  an  impression 
the  few  hours  he  had  spent  in  Kate  Strong's 
companionship  had  made  upon  him  he  was 
just  beginning  dimly  to  appreciate.  He  found 
himself  practically  unable  to  compel  his 
mind  to  dwell  for  any  great  length  of  time 
on  the  weighty  problems  that  were  his  to 
solve.  He  would  discover,  to  his  dismay, 
that  while  mentally  in  search  of  a  path  that 
would  lead  him  in  honor  from  the  difficulties 


70  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

that  beset  him,  his  mind  obstinately  refused 
to  confine  itself  to  his  immediate  environ- 
ment and  all  that  was  involved  therein,  and 
would  devote  itself  to  reproducing  for  his 
delight  the  tones  of  a  maiden's  voice,  the 
gleam  of  her  eloquent  eyes,  the  fascinations 
of  her  gestures  and  her  smiles. 

He  upon  whom  rested  the  destinies  of  a 
nation — perhaps  the  future  of  institutions 
hallowed  by  time  and  claiming  a  divine  ori- 
gin— had  become  little  more  than  a  love-sick 
youth,  gazing  dreamily  upon  the  heaving 
bosom  of  a  landlocked  sea  and  longing  for 
the  presence  of  the  woman  his  young  heart 
craved. 

Thus  beneath  us  have  we  seen  a  few  of  the 
countless  millions  upon  whom  the  Septem- 
ber sun  shone  down  that  day ;  and  we  know 
that  in  their  comings  and  their  goings  they 
wove  unconsciously  that  web  of  destiny 
whose  warp  and  woof  fashion  the  garment 
that  hides  the  mystery  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

'"  WOMAN  in  bicycle  costume  is  an  acquired^, 
taste,"  Ned  Strong  had  once  remarked  to  a 
friend.  That  was  before  Mrs.  Brevoort  had  . 
taken  to  wheeling.  She  had  converted  him 
to  a  belief  in  the  artistic  possibilities  of  a 
bifurcated  dress  for  women.  He  had  come, 
to  the  final  conclusion  that  the  desirability 
of  a  bicycle  costume,  so  far  as  the  gentler 
sex  is  concerned,  must  remain  wholly  a  local 
issue.  Experience  was  teaching  him  that 
generalizations  regarding  the  progressive 
woman  of  to-day  are  worthless.  Further- 
more, he  had  learned  that  whether  or  not 
he  admired  their  ways  and  costumes  made 
little  difference  to  the  women  of  his  set. 
The  iconoclastic  tendency  of  recent  years, 
finds  no  more  striking  illustration  than  in. 
the  fact  that  women  no  longer  sacrifice  their 
comfort  to  their  dress  for  the  sake  of  man's 
approval,  but  dare  to  be  unconventional  for 
the  sake  of  their  own  comfort. 

And  Ned  Strong  was  obliged  to  acknowl- 
edge to  himself  that  Mrs.  Brevoort,  dark,, 
piquante,  vivacious,  presented  an  extremely 
attractive  picture  on  this  September  after- 
noon as  she  sat  gazing  at  the  blue  waters  of 
the  Sound,  equipped  for  a  long  ride  on  her 
wheel. 

That  Kate  Strong  was  a  much  more  strik- 
ing and  impressive  figure  than  Mrs.  Brevoort 


72  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

was  a  fact  that  had  not  appealed  to  the  young 
man's  mind.  Perhaps  he  had  not  observed 
his  sister  critically.  Or  k  may  be  that  he 
had  so  long  taken  it  for  granted  that  Kate 
always  made  a  good  appearance  that  he  was 
not  inclined  to  waste  time  on  the  question  as 
to  the  adaptability  of  a  bicycle  costume  to 
his  sister's  use.  At  all  events,  the  youth 
found  pleasure  in  confining  his  attentions  to 
Mrs.  Brevoort,  and  failed  to  notice  that  his 
sister's  face  wore  an  expression  of  melan- 
choly and  that  there  was  a  listlessness  in  her 
manner  that  the  warmth  of  the  day  could  not 
wholly  explain. 

"  And  you  have  heard  nothing  more  about 
him?"  asked  Mrs.  Brevoort,  gazing  interest- 
edly at  Ned  Strong.  "  It  seems  very  strange 
that  he  has  never  written  you  a  line." 

"  Doesn't  it?"  cried  the  young  man.  "  And 
lie  was  such  a  thoroughbred  in  his  manner 
-and  appearance !  Wasn't  he,  Kate?" 

"  He  was  very  attractive,"  answered  his 
sister,  somewhat  reluctantly,  it  seemed.  "I 
feel  sure  that  some  day  we  shall  find  an  ex- 
planation to  the  mystery." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort, airily.  "  You  see,  I  don't  take  a  bit 
of  stock  in  these  foreigners.  I  have  seen  so 
much  of  them !  It  may  be  bad  form  on  my 
part,  but  I  prefer  an  American  gentleman  to 
the  most  fascinating  European  that  ever 
claimed  descent  from  Charlemagne  or  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror."  She  cast  a  mischiev- 
ous, challenging  glance  at  Ned  Strong,  and 
went  on:  "There's  something  about  mon- 
archical countries  that  begets  ideal  lovers 
but  impossible  husbands.  The  greatest  com- 
plaint over  absentee  landlords  on  the  other 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.          73 

side  comes  from  American  girls  who  have 
married  titled  foreigners." 

Ned  Strong  laughed.  "  On  behalf  of  my 
fellow-countrymen  I  thank  you,  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort.  It  is  too  bad  that  your  convictions 
have  not  a  greater  following  here  among  us." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  those  who  do  not 
agree  with  me.  How  much  can  an  Ameri- 
can girl  know  about  a  titled  foreigner  who 
comes  over  here  looking  for  a  rich  wife? 
Take  the  case  you  have  just  been  telling  me 
about, "continued  Mrs.  Brevoort,  vivaciously. 
"  This  fascinating  youth  called  himself 
'Count  Szalaki.'  How  easy  it  was  for  you 
to  discover  that  there  was  no  such  title  in 
Rexania!  'Twas  surprisingly  clumsy  on  his 
part." 

"  That's  one  reason  that  leads  me  to  think," 
remarked  Ned,  "  that  there  is  something  more 
in  the  affair  than  a  mere  adventurer's  esca- 
pade. If  he  had  been  a  fraud  he  would  have 
been  more  careful  in  his  choice  of  a  name. 
If  he  was,  as  I  have  sometimes  suspected,  a 
man  very  high  in  rank,  who  wished  to  dis- 
guise his  identity,  he  would  have  chosen  a 
title  that  did  not  exist,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  we  would  respect  his  wish  to  remain  un- 
known. There  are  royal  personages  on  the 
other  side  who  travel  under  names  that  one 
cannot  find  in  Burke's  Peerage  or  the  Al- 
manach  de  Gotha." 

"  That's  merely  a  matter  of  form,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Brevoort,  glancing  at  Kate. 
"  Everybody  knows  who  they  are,  wherever 
they  go.  I  was  introduced  to  a  king  in  Paris 
who  had  chosen  to  trot  around  under  the 
name  of  Mr.  Smith,  but  it  was  a  very  thin 
disguise.  He  was  such  a  wretched  conver- 


74  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

sationalist  that  I  knew  at  once  that  he  con- 
cealed a  throne  behind  his  stupidity.  A  real 
Mr.  Smith  could  have  talked  about  some- 
thing besides  the  weather." 

Kate  smiled  at  the  sarcastic  little  woman's 
words. 

"  What  a  thorough  democrat  you  are.  Mrs. 
Brevoort !"  she  remarked.  "  I  almost  suspect 
that  you  intend  to  go  in  for  politics." 

"  Why  not?"  cried  Mrs.  Brevoort  enthusi- 
astically. "  If  we  don't  take  part  in  public 
affairs,  other  women  will.  I  believe  it  is  our 
duty  to  raise  the  tone  of  politics  by  taking 
an  interest  in  them.  If  the  men  of  our  class 
won't  do  their  duty  by  the  State,  it  is  for  us 
to  take  their  place."  She  looked  at  Ned 
Strong  defiantly. 

"I  suspect," he  remarked,  cautiously,  "that 
you  do  not  approve  of  my  indifference  to 
public  affairs,  Mrs.  Brevoort." 

"  Most  assuredly  I  do  not,"  she  exclaimed 
emphatically.  "  A  youth  who  claims  a  di- 
vine right  to  occupy  a  European  throne  and 
defends  that  assumed  right  with  cannon  and 
gunpowder  is,  to  my  mind,  in  a  false  posi- 
tion, but  he  is  more  consistent  than  a  young 
American  who  possesses  the  prerogative  of 
the  ballot  and  won't  take  the  trouble  to  go 
to  the  polls  to  vote." 

Ned  Strong  laughed  merrily.  "What  a 
long  memory  you  have,  Mrs.  Brevoort!  It 
is  nearly  a  year  since  you  learned  that  I 
failed  to  register  last  fall,  and  now  you  bring 
a  sweeping  accusation  against  me.  I  fear 
you  do  not  find  me  possessed  of  the  saving 
grace  of  patriotism." 

"Patriotism!"  cried  the  youth's  accuser. 
"  Surely,  if  you  have  it,  it  finds  queer  ways 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         75 

of  expression,  Mr.  Strong.  You  fail  to  vote, 
and  yet  you  are  forever  denouncing  this 
country  for  going  to  the  dogs.  I  really  be- 
lieve that  I  have  heard  you  crack  a  joke  at 
the  expense  of  George  Washington." 

A  smile  of  amusement  crossed  Kate 
Strong's  face.  "  He  deserves  what  you  are 
giving  him,  Mrs.  Brevoort.  Ned  is  a  thor- 
ough believer  in  his  divine  right  to  let  other 
people  save  the  country." 

"  This  is  unfair,"  cried  the  young  man, 
with  assumed  annoyance.  "  I  am  outnum- 
bered two  to  one.  You  have  me  at  a  disad- 
vantage. But  I  will  not  attempt  now.  Mrs. 
Brevoort,  to  defend  my  position.  And,  luck- 
ily for  me,  here  comes  my  chance  for  escape. 
You  cannot  talk  politics  on  the  wheel,  you 
two.  Are  you  ready  to  mount?  It  is  just 
three  o'clock,  and  we  are  in  good  time  for  a 
long  spin." 

A  boy  in  livery  had  brought  their  wheels 
to  the  front  of  the  club-house,  and,  mounting 
quickly,  the  trio  sped  down  the  pathway 
toward  the  entrance  that  opened  on  to  the 
grounds  from  the  main  highway.  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort and  Ned  Strong  led  the  way,  and  Kate 
followed  them,  a  flush  of  physical  enjoyment 
mounting  to  her  cheeks  as  she  chased  the 
south  wind  inland. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

MRS.  BREVOORT  and  Ned  Strong  sped  along 
in  silence  for  a  time.  The  roads  were  dry 
and  hard,  and  there  was  enough  life  in  the 
breeze  that  had  kissed  the  sea  to  make  even 
violent  exercise  seductive.  Ned's  compan- 
ion was  an  enthusiastic  and  accomplished 
wheelwoman,  and  she  pedalled  on  merrily 
by  his  side,  sometimes  smiling  up  at  him  in 
the  mere  joy  of  physical  exertion.  They  had 
reached  the  high-road,  and  were  rapidly  mak- 
ing their  way  toward  New  Rochelle  when 
Ned  turned  to  his  companion  and  said: 

"  Tell  me,  Mrs.  Brevoort,  what  is  your 
idea  of  Kate's  feeling  toward  Count  Sza- 
laki?  Do  you  think  she  is  really  interested 
in  the  man?" 

"  How  stupid  you  are !"  cried  the  little 
woman,  who  seldom  failed  to  display  either 
real  or  assumed  enthusiasm  regarding  any 
given  topic  of  conversation.  Turning  in  her 
saddle,  she  looked  back,  and  saw  that  Kate 
Strong  was  wheeling  steadily  forward  a  hun- 
dred yards  to  their  rear.  "  But  what  else 
could  I  expect?  All  men  are  stupid  about 
certain  matters.  Of  course  your  sister  is  in- 
terested in  Count  Szalaki.  So  am  I.  I  am 
wild  to  see  the  boy.  From  what  you  both 
say  of  him,  he  must  be  simply  irresistible." 

Ned  Strong  frowned  and  impatiently  in- 
creased the  speed  of  his  wheel.  He  knew 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         77 

how  to  withstand  the  coquetry  of  a  young 
girl,  but  the  "  in-and-out  running  of  a  wid- 
ow," as  he  called  it  to  himself,  kept  him  in 
a  state  of  nervous  worry  most  of  the  time. 

"I  suppose,"  he  remarked  crossly,  "that 
what  a  man  needs  in  these  days  to  make  him 
interesting  are  black  curly  hair  and  an  air  of 
mystery.  In  that  case  I'm  out  of  it  com- 
pletely." 

Mrs.  Brevoort  laughed  aloud. 

"  What  a  jealous  creature  you  are,  Mr. 
Strong!  Your  wife  will  have  a  sad  life  of 
it,  unless  she  is  a  very  clever  woman." 

"  I  don't  intend  to  marry,"  remarked  the 
youth  sternly.  "  What  a  fool  I'd  be  to  sell 
my  birthright  for  a  mess  of  affectation !  And 
that's  what  a  woman  is  to-day — simply  a 
mess  of  affectation." 

"  What  an  elegant  expression !"  cried  Mrs. 
Brevoort,  a  gleam  of  malice  in  her  laughing 
eyes  as  she  looked  up  at  the  youth,  who  was 
gazing  stubbornly  forward  and  pushing  the 
pedals  of  his  wheel  as  though  he  had  suffered 
a  great  wrong  and  was  obliged  to  work  for 
his  living.  "  But  it  does  you  credit,  Mr. 
Strong.  It  indicates  on  your  part  a  remote 
but  more  or  less  intimate  acquaintance  with 
biblical  lore." 

"  But  there's  one  thing  certain,"  continued 
the  young  man,  not  heeding  her  sarcasm, 
"  and  that  is  that  if  I  should  marry  I  would 
not  tie  myself  down  to  a  silly  girl  who  might 
at  any  moment  meet  a  curly-haired  man  with 
a  title  and  leave  me  in  the  lurch." 

Mrs.  Brevoort  laughed  mockingly. 

"  How  self-confident  you  are,  little  boy !" 
she  exclaimed.  "  Let  me  tell  you,  sir,  it  is 
my  opinion  that  you  will  marry  a  blue-eyed, 


78  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

golden-haired  young  doll,  who  will  make 
you  believe  that  you  are  the  most  wonderful 
man  on  earth  and  that  she  is  the  happiest 
woman.  I  can  see  it  all  in  my  mind's  eye. 
You  prize  your  freedom,  as  you  think,  more 
than  most  men.  It  is  just  your  kind  that 
fall  victims  to  the  sweet-faced,  blond-haired 
little  vixens  who  make  the  most  tyrannical 
wives  in  the  world.  Do  you  like  the  predic- 
tion?" 

The  youth  turned  a  frowning  face  to  his 
vis-a-vis.  "Why,  oh,  why,  Mrs.  Brevoort," 
he  cried,  "  will  you  check  the  natural  flow 
of  my  spirits  by  so  dire  a  prophecy?  Think 
of  the  awful  fate  that  awaits  me,  if  your 
words  are  true!  I  acknowlege  that  I  have 
seen  other  men,  perhaps  as  hard  to  suit  as  I 
am  myself,  falling  into  the  clutches  of  spot- 
less young  girls  who  have  lured  them  into 
the  awful  maelstrom  of  marriage ;  but  I  swear 
to  you  that  I  shall  profit  by  their  experience. 
I  should  never  marry  because  I  wanted  a 
parlor  ornament.  When  I  give  up  my  lib- 
erty, I  shall  insist  upon  a  quid  pro  quo." 

"  What  in  the  world  is  that,  Mr.  Strong?" 
cried  Mrs.  Brevoort,  looking  shocked  as  she 
glanced  up  at  him  with  exaggerated  amaze- 
ment. 

"  That's  Latin,"  answered  the  youth  dense- 
ly. "It's  a  dead  language,  but  I  used  it  for 
a  very  live  purpose.  I  am  not  talking  at 
random,  you  know,  Mrs.  Brevoort.  There  is 
method  in  my  madness." 

Ned  Strong  looked  down  at  his  companion 
meaningly,  but  she  refused  to  meet  his  gaze. 

"  But  method  never  yet  saved  madness 
from  disaster,"  she  remarked,  sagely. 

Her  words  seemed   to  check  the  youth's 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.          79 

impetuosity,  for  he  cast  a  pleading  glance 
at  her  averted  face  and  then  wheeled  for- 
ward in  silence  for  a  time. 

"  The  fact  is,"  he  began  again,  after  he  had 
renewed  his  courage,  "  the  fact  is,  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort,  that  you  don't  understand  me." 

A  smile  that  he  could  not  see  from  his  ex- 
alted perch  crossed  the  widow's  face.  It  is 
only  a  very  young  man  who  ever  dares  to 
tell  a  woman  that  she  does  not  weigh  him 
justly.  The  average  man  may  deceive  other 
men ;  it  takes  a  genius  to  blind  a  woman. 

"  Explain  yourself,"  she  urged,  not  too 
warmly. 

"  I  don't  want  to  give  you  the  impres- 
sion," he  went  on,  hesitatingly,  "you  know, 
that  I  don't  admire  women — that  is,  some 
women,  don't  you  see?" 

"I  see,"  she  answered  pitilessly;  "you 
admire  women — some  women,  that  is — for 
anything,  everything,  but  matrimony.  You 
said  a  few  moments  ago  that  you  would 
never  marry." 

"  Did  I?!>  he  asked,  almost  penitently.  "  I 
had  forgotten  that  I  went  so  far.  But,  I  as- 
sure you,  I  didn't  mean  to  imply,  you  know, 
that  under  certain  circumstances  and — don't 
you  see — if  I  got  the  promise  of  just  the 
right  woman,  that  I  shouldn't  be  very  glad 
to  give  up  my  freedom,  don't  you  know; 
that  is,  if  it  was  perfectly  agreeable  to  her, 
of  course." 

Mrs.  Brevoort  laughed  outright,  as  they 
bowled  down  a  long  hill  at  the  top  of  which 
the  Strongs'  manor-house  peeped  above  the 
trees. 

"  You  are  the  most  amusing  man  I  know, 
Mr.  Strong,"  she  exclaimed,  as  they  reached 


80  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

the  level  road  and  moved  forward  more 
slowly.  "  If  you  were  more  consistent,  you 
wouldn't  be  half  so  much  fun." 

The  youth  was  not  altogether  pleased  at 
her  remark.  He  glanced  at  her  searchingly. 

"  You  may  do  me  an  injustice,  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort,"  he  said  firmly.  "  It  is  more  than 
possible  that  I  am  more  consistent  than  you 
suspect." 

"  In  what?"  she  asked,  rather  recklessly, 
looking  up  at  him  mischievously.  The  ex- 
pression in  his  eyes  caused  her  a  pang  of 
regret  at  the  challenge  she  had  made. 

"  In  my  ideas  regarding  matrimony;  in  my 
convictions  as  to  the  woman  I  should  wish  to 
marry,"  he  answered,  meaningly.  "  Shall  I 
explain?" 

Mrs.  Brevoort  gave  a  questioning  glance 
at  his  face  and  realized  that  he  must  not  ex- 
plain. She  turned  in  her  saddle,  as  if  seek- 
ing the  support  of  an  ally  at  a  crisis  that 
must  be  averted  at  any  cost. 

"  Why,  where  is  Kate?"  she  cried,  check- 
ing the  speed  of  her  wheel  and  gazing  back 
eagerly  along  the  road  and  up  the  hill  that 
crept  toward  the  manor-house. 

Ned  Strong  turned,  rather  impatiently, 
and  saw  that  the  road  was  deserted,  save  that 
half-way  up  the  hill  an  open  vehicle,  that  he 
and  Mrs.  Brevoort  had  been  too  absorbed  in 
conversation  to  notice  when  it  passed  them, 
was  slowly  mounting  toward  the  summit. 

"We  must  go  back  and  find  her,"  cried 
Mrs.  Brevoort,  dismounting  from  her  wheel 
and  looking  at  Ned  anxiously. 

"It  would  be  useless,"  he  said,  stubbornly. 
"  She  has  grown  tired  of  riding  alone  and  has 
gone  back  to  the  club-house.  Or  perhaps  she 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         8\ 

has  stopped  at  the  lodge  to  speak  to  Ru- 
dolph. That's  our  old  homestead  up  there, 
you  know,  Mrs.  Brevoort.  Really,  I  don't 
think  it  would  pay  us  to  climb  that  hill  on 
the  remote  chance  of  finding  her.  We'll  turn 
off  the  main  road  just  above  here  and  get 
back  to  the  club-house  at  once  if  you  wish. 
It's  a  shorter  cut  than  we  could  make  by  re- 
tracing our  road  over' the  hill." 

Mrs.  Brevoort  reluctantly  remounted  her 
wheel. 

"  If  you  had  not  talked  so  much  nonsense," 
she  remarked  unjustly  to  Ned  Strong  as  they 
resumed  their  way,  "  we  would  not  have  lost 
track  of  Kate." 

"  A  remark  that  I  consider  highly  compli- 
mentary."   commented    the    youth,   smiling 
contentedly  down  at  the  disturbed  counte- 
nance of  Mrs.  Brevoort. 
6 


CHAPTER  XV. 

POSADOWSKI  passed  through  Prince  Carlo's 
sleeping-room  and  stepped  out  upon  the  bal- 
cony. The  heir  to  a  throne  was  still  dream- 
ing of  love  and  peace  in  a  land  where  Cupid 
should  reign  supreme,  as  the  arch-conspira- 
tor joined  him.  The  young  man's  face  was 
pensive  with  the  gentle  longings  that  tinged 
his  revery  with  sadness.  He  turned  toward 
Posadowski  and  said  cordially : 

"  Be  seated.     I  wi-h  to  talk  with  you." 

The  clear  gray  eyes  of  the  exiled  Rexanian 
rested  searchingly  on  the  pale,  clean-cut  face 
of  the  youth,  and  he  smiled  benignly  as  he 
drew  a  chair  toward  his  captive  and,  seating 
himself,  awaited  the  latter's  pleasure. 

"  How  long  have  you  lived  in  this  country, 
Posadowski?"  asked  the  prince,  abandoning 
his  smiling  visions  with  an  effort  and  return- 
ing to  the  dreary  realities  of  life. 

"  Nearly  ten  years,"  answered  the  revolu- 
tionist, whose  gray  hair  proved  that  he  was 
older  than  his  smooth  pink  and  white  com- 
plexion would  have  indicated. 

"  I  wish  to  ask  you  a  few  questions,"  con- 
tinued Prince  Carlo.  "  I  feel — in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  you  deceived  me  at  our  first  meet- 
ing— that  in  the  larger  matters  pertaining 
to  the  questions  at  issue  between  us  I  can 
trust  you  implicitly.  I  give  you  credit,  Posa- 
dowski, for  being  a  man  of  good  intentions 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         83 

and  honest  in  your  avowed   love  for  Rex- 
ania." 

The  arch-conspirator  bowed  gratefully,  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  generous  words  of 
the  man  he  had  wronged. 

"  Tell  me  frankly,"  went  on  the  prince,  "  do 
you  find,  Posadowski,  that  in  this  land  of 
democracy  the  people  of  the  lower  classes — 
for  I  learn  that  there  are  class  distinctions  in 
America — are  in  better  case  than  the  work- 
ing-people of  Rexania?  Compare,  for  in- 
stance, the  rich  and  the  poor  in  Rexopolis 
and  the  rich  and  the  poor  in  New  York.  Is 
there  not  more  awful  poverty  in  yonder  city 
than  in  my  capital  across  the  sea?  Con- 
versely, is  there  in.  Rexania  a  nobleman  who 
wields  over  the  lives  of  others  an  authority 
as  tyrannical  as  that  exercised  by  the  great 
landlords  of  New  York?" 

Posadowski  gazed  at  Prince  Carlo  in  be- 
wilderment. He  had  come  to  point  out  to 
his  royal  captive  the  far-reaching  influence 
his  abdication  of  a  crown  would  have  upon 
the  oppressed  millions  of  the  human  race 
who  still  live  and  struggle  and  perish  be- 
neath the  crushing  weight  of  thrones  and 
what  those  thrones  demand ;  and,  lo,  this  in- 
carnation of  obsolete  systems  and  archaic 
theories  had  asked  him  a  few  pertinent  and 
practical  questions  that  rendered  Posadow- 
ski's  present  mission  seemingly  absurd.  For 
the  arch-conspirator  was  a  clear-headed, 
honest-hearted  man,  whose  constitutional 
detestation  for  shams  had  long  ago  made  him 
a  rebel  against  monarchy,  and  now  rendered 
him  dumb  as  he  slowly  took  in  the  full  signifi- 
cance of  the  line  of  inquiry  Prince  Carlo  had 
put  forth. 


84  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  You  do  not  answer,  Posadowsld,"  went  on 
Prince  Carlo,  his  voice  and  manner  growing 
sterner  as  his  words  flowed  more  freely. 
44  Do  you  know,  man,  why  I  came  to  this 
country,  why  I  defied  my  father's  wishes  and 
ran  a  risk  greater  even  than  I  imagined  at 
the  moment?  I  wished  to  see  for  myself 
what  popular  government  has  really  done 
for  a  great  people  in  a  century  of  time. 
They  told  me  on  the  steamer,  these  New 
Yorkers,  facts  that  made  even  the  hard  heart 
of  a  king  bleed  for  the  poor  devils  who 
chased  the  ignis  fatuus  of  freedom  into  the 
very  stronghold  of  human  tyranny.  These 
are  harsh  words,  Posadowski.  Do  you  dare 
tell  me  that  they  are  false — you  who  know 
the  East  Side  of  that  great  city  in  which 
you,  and  thousands  of  deluded  Europeans, 
have  toiled  in  misery  that  makes  the  lot  of  a 
Rexanian  peasant  easy,  even  luxurious,  in 
comparison?  Perhaps  I  have  been  misin- 
formed. Perhaps  I  have  failed  to  read  aright 
the  newspapers  that  have  come  to  my  hand 
since  I  reached  this  strange,  distorted  land. 
But  what  I  have  heard,  what  I  have  read, 
forces  me  to  the  conviction  that  no  Rex- 
anian in  Rexopolis  has  ever  suffered  from 
a  form  of  tyranny  so  pitiless  as  that  which 
keeps  our  countrymen  in  New  York  poorer 
and  more  hopeless  than  they  were  in  their 
native  land.  If  I  am  wrong,  if  I  am  de- 
ceived through  insufficient  data,  I  am  sure 
rou  will  set  me  right.  Speak,  man.  Have 
told  the  truth?" 

Posadowski  was  silent  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  answered,  a  note  of  stubborness  in 
his  voice : 

"  Industrial  conditions  here  are  not  as  they 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         85 

should  be.     That  is  true.     But  surely  a  mon- 
archy would  not  set  them  right." 

"  Ha !"  cried  Prince  Carlo,  "  that  is  just  the 
point.  A  monarchy  would  not  solve  the 
problems  of  this  country.  On  the  other 
hand,  a  republic  would  not  remedy  the  de- 
fects in  Rexania's  body  politic.  I  am  lib- 
eral in  my  views,  Posadowski.  I  will  grant 
you  that  if  I  should  mount  the  throne  of 
Rexania  I  could  not  rule  after  the  fashion  of 
my  great-grandfather.  The  king  and  his 
people  must  walk  hand-in-hand  to-day,  not 
at  sword's  points.  But  let  Rexania  become 
a  republic  on  the  instant,  and  what  would  re- 
sult? Dissensions  among  the  people,  and 
political  chaos:  possibly  the  annexation  of 
the  country  by  a  stronger  power  on  our  bor- 
der. You  talk  of  the  selfishness  of  kings. 
Are  they  not  the  most  heroic  figures  of  the 
age?  Take  my  father — God  be  with  him !  He 
has  loved  Rexania  with  a  devoted  unselfish- 
ness that  only  those  who  have  been  near  him 
can  appreciate.  Weary,  sad  at  heart,  some- 
times almost  hopeless,  he  has  had  it  in  his 
power  to  accumulate  a  vast  fortune,  put  it 
into  portable  shape,  and  abandon  his  country 
for  a  land  in  which  he  could  live  in  peace 
and  idleness.  Do  you  think  that  such  a  step 
has  been  no  temptation  to  him?  You  have 
so  long  looked  at  only  one  side  of  this  matter 
that  it  will  be  hard  for  you  to  realize  the  full 
force  of  my  question.  I  tell  you  that  my 
father  has  loved  Rexania  with  more  fervfl 
than  you  have  ever  felt  for  our  fatherland, 
that  he  has  displayed  more  courage  and  pa- 
triotic devotion  in  his  life  than  any  one  of  his 
rebellious  subjects  has  ever  shown,  and  that 
he  has  understood  the  practical  necessities  of 


86  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

our  country's  environment  better  than  the 
dreamers  who  have  fostered  discontent  among 
the  people.  My  father  has  been  a  grand  and 
unselfish  man,  Posadowski,  and  you — you 
would  crucify  him." 

The  arch-conspirator  had  grown  .pale  as 
the  youth,  with  a  calmness  that  was  almost 
uncanny  in  its  exhibition  of  self-control,  had 
given  voice  to  the  thoughts  that  had  taken 
form  in  his  mind  during  his  days  of  captiv- 
ity. Presently  he  spoke  again,  observing 
that  Posadowski  had,  at  that  moment,  no 
arguments  to  advance. 

"  What  dire  calamities  you  may  bring  upon 
Rexania  by  holding  me  here  a  prisoner  I  dare 
to  contemplate.  Granting  that  you  keep  me 
captive  from  the  very  highest  motives  of  pa- 
triotism, can  you  not  see  that  you  are  endan- 
gering the  very  cause  for  which  you  strive? 
Let  us  suppose  that  my  father  dies  and  that 
Rexania  becomes  a  republic.  Unless  you 
kill  me,  Posadowski,  I  shall  eventually  return 
to  Europe.  Not  only  that,  but  I  shall  be 
placed  upon  the  throne  of  Rexania  by  forces 
against  which  your  republican  brethren  could 
make  no  resistance  worthy  of  the  name. 
You  are  a  clear-headed  man,  Posadowski. 
I  can  see  by  your  face  that  what  I  have  said 
has  made  an  impression  upon  you  that  will 
give  you,  surely,  a  different  point  of  view." 

A  grim  smile  crossed  the  arch-conspirator's 
countenance.  "  I  will  acknowledge,  Prince 
Carlo,  that  I  have  not  at  this  moment  argu- 
ments at  hand  to  answer  the  line  of  reason- 
ing you  have  advanced.  I  am  a  slow  thinker, 
and,  as  you  can  well  understand,  I  am  con- 
fronted by  a  dilemma  of  tremendous  import. 
J  must  ask  you  to  give  me  time  to  weigh 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         87 

your  words.  If,  after  close  consideration,  1 
reach  your  conclusions — a  result  that  neces 
sitates  the  rejection  of  convictions  that  I  have 
cherished  for  many  years — I  will  discuss 
frankly  with  you  the  step  that  we  should 
take." 

Posadowski  arose  and  approached  the 
prince. 

"Let  me  ask  you,  Prince  Carlo,"  he  said, 
before  taking  his  leave,  "  let  me  ask  you  not 
to  discuss  the  matters  we  have  in  hand  with 
my  colleagues.  There  is  not  one  among 
them  who  would  have  allowed  you  to  explain 
your  position  as  I  have  done.  You  under- 
stand me?" 

"Fully,"  answered  the  prince,  smiling  up 
at  the  gray-eyed  Rexanian,  "I  understand 
you,  Posadowski,  and  I  trust  you." 

At  that  very  moment  Ludovics  was  making 
his  exit  from  a  road-house  a  mile  away,  the 
fumes  of  brandy  imprisoned  in  the  cells  of 
his  brain.  With  the  money  that  Norman 
Benedict  had  left  for  him  at  the  restaurant 
in  St.  Mark's  Square,  Ludovics  had  pur- 
chased a  revolver  and  had  gone  on  a  hunt- 
ing expedition  into  Westchester  County.  It 
was  big  game  that  he  was  after — nothing  less 
than  a  king  who  was  making  wild  merriment 
at  his  expense;  and  where  that  king  wa« 
Ludovics  well  knew. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

JUST  below  the  lodge  gate,  and  at  the  very 
top  of  the  hill,  Kate  Strong  had  fallen  from 
her  bicycle  and  sprained  her  ankle.  The 
sudden  and  excruciating  pain  had  begotten  a 
momentary  faintness  that  had  prevented  her 
from  crying  out  in  time  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  Mrs.  Brevoort  and  her  brother,  who 
were  at  that  instant  coasting  down  the  hill- 
side at  a  merry  pace. 

Dizzy  and  sick  with  the  shock  she  had 
sustained,  Kate,  realizing  that  she  could  not 
recall  her  companions,  decided  to  arouse  Ru- 
dolph at  the  lodge  and  send  him  at  once  for 
a  physician.  The  pain  in  her  ankle  seemed 
to  grow  worse  every  moment,  and  she  began 
to  doubt  her  ability  to  reach  the  gate  of  her 
ancestral  home,  when  an  open  carriage  was 
dragged  over  the  top  of  the  hill  by  a  panting 
horse,  seemingly  one  of  Westchester  County's 
Revolutionary  relics.  The  owner  and  driver 
of  the  ancient  steed  and  ramshackle  vehicle 
was  wont  to  remark  solemnly  that  his  faith- 
ful horse  had  withstood  the  wear  and  tear 
of  years  and  labor  until  the  bicycle  had  be- 
gun to  haunt  his  footsteps.  The  effect  of 
wheels  operated  by  men  upon  the  nervous 
system  of  an  old-fashioned  and  conservative 
horse,  whose  career  of  usefulness  had  been 
rendered  possible  by  the  prosperity  of  the 
livery-stable  business,  cannot  be  appreciated 
by  a  flippant  mind.  In  the  case  under  our 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         89 

immediate  consideration,  the  sight  of  a  pros- 
trate bicycle  lying  by  the  roadside  affected 
the  aged  steed  instantly.  A  snort,  perhaps 
of  triumph,  burst  from  the  supersensitive 
horse  as  it  planted  its  forefeet  stubbornly  in 
the  dust  of  the  roadway  and  looked  down  at 
the  overturned  wheel. 

The  sudden  halting  of  the  carriage  aroused 
Norman  Benedict  from  an  intense  concentra- 
tion of  mind.  He  had  been  attempting  to 
decide  upon  a  course  of  action  in  case  the 
rather  unpromising  clew  he  was  now  follow- 
ing should  not  result  in  the  discovery  of  a 
Rexanian  who,  as  he  had  been  told,  had 
charge  of  a  deserted  manor-house  somewhere 
in  the  neighborhood.  The  sight  that  met 
his  eyes  caused  the  reporter  to  spring  hastily 
from  the  carriage. 

"  Are    you    badly    hurt?"  he    asked    Kate 

Strong,  who  had  managed  to  rise  to  her  feet 

by  the  aid  of  the  fence  toward  which  she  had 

crept.     She  stood  with  one  hand  on  the  rail- 

Cg,  her  face  pale  and  drawn. 

"  I've  sprained  my  ankle,  I  think,"  she  an- 
swered, trying  to  smile  gratefully  at  the 
stranger's  kindly  interest  in  her  plight.  "  If 
I  could  get  to  the  lodge,  there,  our  man  Ru- 
dolph could  make  me  comfortable  until  a 
doctor  reached  me." 

"  Draw  up  here,"  cried  Benedict  to  his 
driver.  "  Put  your  hand  on  my  arm,  Miss — 
Miss " 

"  Miss  Strong,"  answered  Kate,  resting  her 
hand  on  his  elbow  and  hobbling  toward  the 
carriage. 

"  Now  drive  slowly  up  to  that  gate,"  or- 
dered Benedict  again,  as  he  turned  and  lifted 
Kate's  bicycle  from  the  ground  and  wheeled 


go  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

it  along  by  the  side  of  his  improvised  ambu- 
lance. 

As  the  carriage  stopped  in  front  of  the 
lodge  gate,  the  reporter  rang  a  bell  whose 
vibrations  in  these  days  of  an  international 
crisis  always  gave  Rudolph  Sinolenski's 
nerves  a  severe  shock.  Since  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Rexania  had  become  his  prisoner, 
the  lodge-keeper  never  opened  the  gate  with- 
out first  making  a  close  and  lengthy  exami- 
nation of  those  who  craved  his  attention. 
The  tradesmen  and  urchins  who  had  occasion 
to  beard  the  Rexanian  in  his  lair  had  noticed 
of  late  that  he  had  grown  surly  and  unso- 
ciable, and  that  he  allowed  no  one  to  pass  the 
gloomy  portals  of  a  domain  over  which  his 
long  service  had  rendered  him  practically  au- 
tocratic. 

At  the  moment  at  which  Norman  Benedict 
pulled  the  knob  that  set  a  bell  within  the 
lodge  a-trembling,  Rudolph  was  deep  in  rev- 
ery,  and  wondering  what  would  be  the  out- 
come of  Posadowski's  mission  to  the  prince. 
If  he  had  known  that  at  that  very  instant 
Prince  Carlo  was  advancing  arguments  that 
tended  to  shake  the  arch-conspirator's  devo- 
tion to  the  enterprise  in  which  the  Rexanian 
exiles  were  engaged,  Rudolph  would  have 
felt  even  greater  dissatisfaction  than  influ- 
enced his  mood  at  the  time.  He  had  begun 
to  grow  impatient  and  restless.  He  had  al- 
most become  a  convert  to  Ludovics'  belief 
in  heroic  measures.  The  fact  was  that  Ru- 
dolph felt  that  he  was  risking  more  than 
any  one  of  his  colleagues  in  this  lawless  effort 
to  make  European  history  in  a  secluded  corner 
of  Westchester  County.  The  longer  the  tem- 
porizing policy  pursued  by  Posadowki  was 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         91 

continued,  the  more  certain  was  Rudolph  of 
the  ultimate  discovery  of  his  secret  and  the 
loss  of  a  place  that  was  in  all  respects  satis- 
factory to  his  indolent  and  rather  unsociable 
nature.  The  thought  of  returning  to  the 
East  Side  to  slave  in  a  sweater's  establish- 
ment filled  him  with  horror. 

There  was  something  ominous  in  the  sharp 
summons  of  the  bell  that  caused  him  to  lay 
aside  his  pipe  with  trembling  hand,  while 
his  flabby  cheeks  turned  white.  He  could 
think  of  no  one  who  would  be  likely  to  dis- 
turb the  lonely  lodge  at  that  hour,  unless,  as 
he  reflected  with  conflicting  emotions,  Ludo- 
vics,  the  impetuous,  had  found  his  way  back 
to  the  centre  of  high  pressure. 

Hurrying  toward  the  entrance,  his  heart 
beating  with  unpleasant  rapidity,  Rudolph 
opened  a  peep-hole  in  the  iron  gate  and 
looked  out.  His  eyes  first  rested  on  Norman 
Benedict :  there  was  nothing  in  the  reporter's 
appearance  to  increase  the  lodge-keeper's  ap- 
prehensions. But,  as  his  glance  fell  upon  the 
carriage,  drawn  up  on  the  outside  of  the  an- 
tique stepping-stone  to  the  left  of  the  gate- 
way, a  cold  perspiration  broke  out  upon  his 
hands  and  face,  and  his  short,  puffy  legs 
trembled  beneath  him.  He  had  seen  his  em- 
ployer's daughter  often  enough  to  recognize 
instantly  the  pale,  patrician  face  of  Kate 
Strong.  For  an  instant  consternation  ren- 
dered him  powerless.  Then  he  turned  from 
the  gate  and  ran  frantically  toward  the 
manor-house.  Rukacs  was  on  guard  on  the 
front  piazza. 

"  Rukacs,"  cried  the  lodge-keeper,  excited- 
ly, "keep  close  behind  the  pillars,  and  don't 
show  yourself  where  you  can  be  seen  from 


92  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

the  lodge.  Tell  Posadowski  and  the  others 
to  keep  out  of  sight.  And  be  sure  that  not  a 
sound  issues  from  this  house  until  you  hear 
from  me  again.  Miss  Strong,  daughter  of 
my  employer,  is  at  the  lodge  gate.  She 
looks  very  pale :  I  think  she  may  have  fainted, 
or  something  of  that  kind.  But  keep  a  close 
watch,  Rukacs.  I'll  do  my  best  to  hold  her 
at  the  lodge,  but  you  must  keep  your  eye  on 
the  game." 

Rudolph,  his  legs  working  clumsily  under 
the  pressure  of  a  great  crisis,  rushed  back  to 
the  gate,  leaving  Rukacs  white  with  dismay. 
The  lodge,  as  he  passed  it,  seemed  to  tremble 
with  the  noise  of  a  bell  that  froze  the  Rex- 
anian's  soul  with  its  threatening  insistence. 
Opening  the  gate,  he  confronted  Norman 
Benedict. 

"  Miss  Strong  has  sprained  her  ankle,"  said 
the  reporter,  who  realized  that  this  was  no 
time  for  padding  his  news.  "  Come  out  and 
help  me  to  get  her  on  to  a  sofa.  What  are 
you  staring  at,  man?  Don't  you  speak  Eng- 
lish?" 

Rudolph  made  a  strong  effort  of  will  and 
approached  the  carriage.  A  spasm  of  pain 
crossed  Kate's  face  as  she  gave  one  hand  to 
Rudolph  and  the  other  to  Benedict  and 
stepped  to  the  ground. 

"  I  will  go  into  the  lodge,  Rudolph,"  she 
said.  "I  couldn't  stand  the  motion  of  that 
old  conveyance  a  moment  longer." 

The  lodge-keeper  was  white  and  speechless 
as  he  helped  the  injured  girl  into  the  parlor 
of  the  lodge,  while  the  reporter  drew  the  only 
comfortable  piece  of  furniture  in  the  room, 
an  antique  lounge,  toward  the  front  windows 
and  arranged  a  tattered  pillow  at  its  head. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         93 

"There  is  a  doctor  not  far  from  here?" 
asked  Benedict,  turning  to  the  lodge-keeper 
and  giving  him  a  penetrating  glance.  There 
was  something  in  Rudolph's  manner  that 
struck  the  quick-witted  reporter  as  peculiar. 

"Half  a  mile  down  the  road,"  answered 
Rudolph,  his  voice  unsteady. 

"  Get  into  the  carriage  and  bring  him  here 
at  once,"  ordered  Benedict,  sharply,  noting 
instantly  the  reluctance  Rudolph's  manner 
expressed.  Kate  Strong  also  noticed  her 
retainer's  hesitation. 

"  Do  as  this  gentleman  directs,  Rudolph," 
she  commanded;  and  the  lodge-keeper,  see- 
ing no  alternative  at  hand,  turned  and  left 
the  room  with  hesitating  steps. 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Strong,"  remarked  Bene- 
dict, stationing  himself  at  a  window  from 
which  he  could  see  the  roadway,  "  your  man 
is  a  foreigner?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Kate.  "  He  is  a  Rex- 
anian,  I  believe."  Her  reply  caused  the  re- 
porter to  regret  for  the  moment  that  he  had 
allowed  the  lodge-keeper  to  leave  his  sight. 
Of  what  significance  was  a  girl  with  a 
sprained  ankle,  compared  with  the  greatest 
newspaper  "  beat"  of  tke  year? 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

44  You  are  to  drive  me  half  a  mile  down  the 
road  and  back  again,"  said  Rudolph  sullenly 
to  the  aged  Jehu  who  had  carried  Nemesis  in 
a  tumble-down  vehicle  to  the  gateway  of  the 
lodge.  "  Don't  stop  to  think  about  it.  The 
sooner  its  done  the  sooner  its  over." 

With  this  philosophical  remark,  the  Rex- 
anian  entered  the  carriage  and  seated  himself 
gloomily  behind  the  taciturn  and  dispirited 
driver.  There  was  a  melancholy  aspect  to 
the  conveyance  as  it  moved  slowly  away 
from  the  lodge  gate.  The  broken-hearted 
steed  seemed  to  be  plunged  in  a  gloomy  rev- 
ery  regarding  the  iconoclastic  influence  of 
bicycles;  the  driver  cracked  his  tattered 
whip  in  a  hopeless  way,  as  if  he  realized  the 
impotence  of  his  efforts  to  give  an  appear- 
ance of  life  and  activity  to  his  antiquated 
turnout;  while  Rudolph's  face  wore  an  ex- 
pression of  mingled  apprehension  and  dismay 
that  grew  more  intense  the  farther  he  rolled 
away  from  the  manor-house. 

It  was  this  depressing  caravan  that  met  the 
restless  gaze  of  Ludovics  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  below  the  lodge.  He  had  cut  loose 
from  his  alcoholic  moorings  at  the  road- 
house,  and  was  tacking  toward  Rudolph's 
ill-fated  residence  with  a  purpose  much  more 
steady  than  his  steps.  He  paused  by  the 
side  of  the  roadway  and  aroused  Rudolph 
from  his  dark  forebodings  by  a  loud  cry. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         95 

"  Rudolph !"  shouted  Ludovics.  "  Rudolph' 
Have  they  turned  you  out?  Good!  I  knew 
you  were  the  right  kind!  Here,  man,  give 
me  the  grip." 

The  little  inebriate  had  reached  the  side  of 
the  carriage  and  seized  Rudolph's  cold,  damp, 
flabby  hand. 

The  lodge-keeper  gazed  calmly  at  his  un- 
ruly compatriot.  The  thought  had  entered 
his  mind  that  it  was  possible  to  save  time  by 
sending  Ludovics  for  the  doctor  while  he 
and  his  disheartened  driver  returned  to  the 
lodge. 

"  Ludovics,"  remarked  Rudolph,  diplomati- 
cally, "  I'm  glad  to  see  you."  Then  he 
leaned  down  over  the  back  wheel  and  whis- 
pered, "  Be  cautious,  Ludovics.  The  driver 
there  is  not  one  of  us." 

Ludovics  flashed  a  glance  of  withering 
scorn  at  the  bent  back  of  the  phlegmatic 
Jehu. 

"  I  see,"  he  said,  with  drunken  gravity, 
"  you  have  hypnotized  him,  Rudolph.  It  is 
well." 

"  Yes,  that's  it,"  answered  the  lodge-keep- 
er, who  was  weighing  all  the  chances  and 
trying  to  reach  a  decision.  Finally  he  said, 
"  Ludovics,  I  must  get  back  to  the  lodge  at 
once.  You  passed  a  large  white  house  with 
pillars  in  front  of  it,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  below  here.  There's  a  sign  on  the  gate 
reading  'Dr.  C.  H.  Moore.'  Now  I  want  you 
to  go  back  there  and  tell  the  doctor  to  come 
to  the  lodge  at  once.  Do  you  understand 
me?" 

Ludovics  drew  himself  up  haughtily,  as  if 
Rudolph  had  cast  a  slur  upon  his  intellectual 
ability. 


p6  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  Of  course  I  understand  you,"  he  answered, 
petulantly.  Then  a  vivid  suspicion  flashed 
through  his  befuddled  brain. 

"Tell  me,  Rudolph,"  he  cried,  in  low,  fe- 
verish tones,  "is  he  sick?  Didn't  his  food 
agree  with  him?  Ha  ha!  Well  done,  Ru- 
dolph !  I  knew  you  were  the  right  kind,  Ru- 
dolph. He  needs  a  doctor,  does  he?  Good! 
I'll  go  and  get  the  doctor,  Rudolph.  Give 
him  something  more  to  eat  and  drink  before 
the  doctor  gets  there,  brother.  He's  a  stub- 
born boy,  you  know.  But  I  trust  you,  Ru- 
dolph, I  trust  you.  Dr.  Moore,  you  said? 
Dr.  Moore?  Down  the  road?  Very  good, 
Rudolph.  I'm  off."  Ludovics  laughed  with 
a  fiendish  glee  that  horrified  even  the  unim- 
pressionable lodge-keeper. 

"  Be  careful  what  you  say,  Ludovics,"  he 
said,  harshly.  "  Simply  ring  the  bell  and 
say  that  Dr.  Moore  is  wanted  at  the  Strongs' 
manor-house.  Understand  me!  Don't  talk 
too  much,  or  you  may  get  into  trouble. 
Now  go." 

Leaning  forward,  Rudolph  directed  the 
driver  to  arouse  himself  and  his  horse  from 
lethargy  and  return  to  the  lodge  gate.  A 
moment  later  the  broken-spirited  horse  was 
re  tracing  his  steps  hopelessly,  while  Rudolph 
was  leaning  back  in  his  seat  in  a  more  con- 
tented frame  of  mind.  He  had  saved  at  least 
ten  minutes  by  entrusting  his  mission  to 
Ludovics. 

The  latter  had  turned  his  back  on  the  ve- 
hicle and  was  making  his  way  down  the  road 
at  a  pace  that  indicated  a  set  purpose  and  a 
slight  recovery  from  alcoholic  domination  on 
his  part.  Suddenly  he  paused,  looked  back 
at  the  retreating  carriage,  and,  leaving  the 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         97 

road,  leaned  against  a  fence  and  indulged  for 
a  moment  in  an  inward  debate.  Then  he 
took  from  a  pocket  in  his  coat  a  flask  that  he 
had  purchased  at  the  road-house,  and,  re- 
moving the  cork,  swallowed  a  fiery  mouthful 
of  the  raw  liquor. 

"I  wonder,"  he  said  argumentatively  to 
himself,  "  I  wonder  if  Rudolph  is  a  truly 
patriotic  cook?  There's  a  king  up  here  in 
Westchester  County  who  needs  a  doctor.  I'm 
going  for  the  doctor.  I  look  well,  don't  I, 
Ludovics,  getting  a  doctor  for  a  sick  king?  I 
wish  I  knew  how  sick  he  is.  If  he's  as  sick 
of  himself  as  I  am  of  kings,  he'll  die  any- 
way." He  staggered  to  the  road  and  turned 
again  toward  the  manor-house. 

"  I  don't  think  I'm  a  success  going  for  doc- 
tors," he  mused.  "  I  do  better  when  I'm 
going  for  kings."  He  placed  an  unsteady 
hand  on  the  rear  pocket  of  his  trousers  and 
satisfied  himself  that  the  revolver  he  had 
purchased  with  a  part  of  Norman  Benedict's 
gratuity  was  in  its  place. 

"There's  nothing  so  good  fora  sick  king 
as  pills,"  he  muttered.  "Pills!  Pills  made 
of  lead!  They're  much  more  certain  than 
Rudolph's  cooking.  Rudolph  means  well, 
but  he  doesn't  drink  enough  brandy." 

As  this  conclusion  forced  itself  upon  him, 
he  stopped  again  and  drew  fresh  patriotic 
inspiration  from  his  flask.  It  was  beginning 
to  grow  dark  as  Ludovics  reached  the  high 
fence  that  enclosed  the  grounds  of  the  manor- 
house  and  ran  up  flush  with  the  front  wall  of 
the  lodge.  The  sun  had  sunk  in  the  west 
like  a  glowing  cannon-ball  blushing  for  its 
crimes. 

"  It's  lucky  I'm  small,"  mused  Ludovics,  as 

7 


98  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

he  nimbly  mounted  the  railing  and  let  him- 
self down  on  the  other  side.  For  a  moment 
it  struck  him  as  curious  that  he  could  climb 
a  fence  with  more  assurance  than  he  could 
follow  a  roadway. 

"  That  must  be  good  brandy,"  he  muttered. 
"  It  doesn't  help  my  walking  much,  but  it 
makes  me  climb  like  a  cat." 

Stealthily  he  made  his  way  through  the 
tangled  grass  that  covered  the  lawn  until  he 
stood  beneath  the  balcony  at  the  rear  of  the 
manor-house.  The  waters  of  the  Sound  were 
leaden-hued,  and  the  gathering  gloom  of 
night  gave  a  dreary  aspect  to  the  scene  be- 
fore him. 

"  The  doctor  has  come,"  said  Ludovics  to 
himself,  a  mocking  smile  overspreading  his 
face  as  he  glanced  upward  and  saw  how  easy 
it  would  be  for  a  man  of  his  weight  and 
agility  to  reach  the  second  story  of  the  manor- 
house.  "Just  where  my  patient  is,  I  don't 
know,  but  I'm  almost  sure  that  Rudolph  said 
he  was  going  to  put  the  king  in  the  rear 
room  on  the  second  floor."  The  cold,  damp 
breeze  that  had  arisen  when  the  sun  went 
down  chilled  the  murderous  little  Rexanian 
to  the  marrow :  another  pull  at  the  flask  was 
necessary  to  check  the  trembling  of  his 
hands. 

"  I'll  cure  him,"  he  continued,  leaning 
against  one  of  the  posts  that  supported  the 
balcony.  "  I'll  cure  him.  My  medicine  chest 
is  ready  for  use.  It  never  fails.  When  I 
doctor  a  king — eh,  Ludovics? — he's  never 
sick  again,  is  he?  Rudolph's  cooking  is  not 
so  sure  as  my  little  pills.  One  pill  in  a  vital 
part,  and  the  man  is  never  sick  again  1  Isn't 
that  wonderful?  Never  sick  again !" 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.         99 

Thus  muttering  to  himself,  Ludovics  began 
to  climb  the  post  at  the  southern  end  of  the 
balcony,  his  teeth  gleaming  in  the  half-light 
as  he  grinned  maliciously,  while  his  eyes 
glanced  with  feverish  eagerness  at  a  ray  of 
light  that  flared  from  a  window  above  him. 


CHAPTER  XVin. 

NORMAN  BENEDICT  had  removed  Kate 
Strong's  legging  and  the  long  buttoned  shoe 
that  had  covered  her  sprained  ankle,  and  had 
deftly  bound  up  the  injured  member  with  a 
handkerchief,  after  he  had  relieved  the  pain 
by  applying  cold  water  and  a  gentle  massage. 

"  You  have  been  very  kind  to  me,"  said 
Kate,  gratefully,  as  she  leaned  back  on  the 
sofa  and  realized  how  much  more  comfort- 
able the  reporter's  skill  had  made  her  feel. 
"  I  owe  you  a  great  debt  of  gratitude."  How 
much  she  was  indebted  to  Benedict  she  did 
not  fully  realize,  for  he  had  been  under  a 
strong  temptation  to  follow  Rudolph  at  any 
cost  when  he  had  learned  that  the  lodge- 
keeper  was  the  very  Rexanian  he  had  come 
up  into  Westchester  to  find. 

"  Your  man,  there, "said  Benedict,  question- 
ingly,  glancing  at  his  watch,  "  has  he  been 
long  in  your  service?" 

"  Several  years,"  answered  Kate.  "  I  be- 
lieve he  was  exiled  from  Rexania  after  the 
revolution  of  ten  years  ago." 

Her  remark  tended  to  increase  the  repor- 
ter's interest  in  the  lodge-keeper. 

"  They  are  a  curious  people,  those  Rex- 
anians,"  he  remarked,  drawing  a  chair  tow- 
ard the  sofa  and  seating  himself  where  he 
could  watch  Kate's  face.  "  I  have  seen  some- 
thing of  them  on  the  East  Side." 

Kate  felt  an  almost  irresistible  desire  to 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       IOI 

confess  to  the  youth  that  they  were  a  race  in 
which  she  took  at  that  moment  an  interest 
that  was  founded  on  a  most  unhappy  inci- 
dent. 

"You  see,"  Benedict  went  on,  noting  the 
animated  expression  on  her  face,  "  I  am  a 
newspaper  reporter,  Miss  Strong,  and  in  my 
work  1  come  into  contact  with  many  curious 
phases  of  life  and  queer  kinds  of  people  in 
New  York.  Of  course  you  have  never  met 
a  Rexanian,  excepting  your  lodge-keeper, 
Rudolph?" 

"  Oh,  but  I  have,"  cried  Kate,  who  did 
not  fully  realize  that  her  accident  had  ren- 
dered her  slightly  feverish  and  therefore 
somewhat  more  loquacious  than  usual.  "  A 
Rexanian  dined  at  our  house  in  the  city  a  few 
nights  ago.  He  had  come  over  on  the  steamel 
with  my  father  and  mother.  He  was  a  very 
charming  man." 

There  was  something  in  her  voice  that  im« 
pressed  Benedict  as  peculiar. 

"  One  of  the  Rexanian  nobility,  of  course?" 
he  asked,  diplomatically. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  with  some  hesitation. 
"  He  was  a  count — Count  Szalaki."  Her  face 
flushed  as  the  thought  flashed  through  her 
mind  that  her  frankness  in  the  presence  of  a 
newspaper  reporter  was,  to  say  the  least  of 
it,  indiscreet.  But  there  were  many  influ- 
ences at  work  to  render  Kate  Strong  less 
reticent  than  she  ordinarily  was  by  habit  and 
temperament.  The  sudden  disappearance  of 
their  Rexanian  guest  and  the  shadow  that 
had  been  cast  upon  his  memory  by  her  fam- 
ily had  made  her  impatient  to  clear  up  the 
mystery  that  surrounded  the  only  man  who 
had  ever  fully  satisfied  the  romantic  long- 


102  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

ings  that  pertained  to  her  youth  and  her  self- 
centred  nature. 

That  Ned  Strong  was  fitted  neither  by  tem- 
perament nor  by  experience  to  solve  a  prob- 
lem that  grew  more  and  more  inexplicable 
as  time  passed,  his  sister  well  knew.  Al- 
ready he  had  lost  interest  in  a  mystery  that 
grew  more  important  to  Kate  the  longer  it 
remained  unsolved.  She  herself  was  power- 
less to  prosecute  a  line  of  inquiry  that,  she 
felt  sure,  would,  if  carried  forward  to  the 
end,  exonerate  the  Rexanian  whose  melan- 
choly and  fascinating  face  had  impressed  her 
as  that  of  a  man  whose  soul  was  too  lofty  for 
subterfuge  and  fraud. 

Fate  had  thrown  her  into  the  enforced 
companionship  of  a  man  whose  journalistic 
training  had  thoroughly  fitted  him  for  solv- 
ing mysteries  of  the  kind  that  now  weighed 
upon  her  overwrought  mind.  Conflicting 
emotions  warred  within  her.  She  possessed 
many  of  the  prejudices  and  all  the  self-con- 
trol that  pertain  to  the  real  patrician ;  added 
to  these  was  a  maidenly  fear  that  somebody 
might  discover  the  secret  that  agitated  her 
heart — a  secret  that  she  hardly  dared  to  whis- 
per to  herself.  On  the  other  hand,  she  had 
grown  almost  desperate  in  her  anxiety  to 
learn  something  more  of  Count  Szalaki,  to 
receive  an  explanation  of  his  seemingly  churl- 
ish silence  that  would  vindicate  her  inner- 
most conviction  that  he  was  what  her  fancy 
painted  him.  Perhaps  under  other  circum- 
stances her  natural  disinclination  to  grow 
too  confidential  with  a  man  about  whom  she 
knew  almost  nothing  would  have  prevailed, 
but  the  reaction  following  her  accident  had 
rendered  her  will-power  less  .active  than 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       103 

usual  and  her  inclination  to  give  way  to  an 
impulse  stronger. 

"  Count  Szalaki !"  exclaimed  Norman  Bene- 
dict, musingly.  Suddenly  an  expression  of 
eagerness  crossed  his  face.  "  His  name  was 
on  the  passenger  list  of  one  of  the  incoming 
steamers  recently.  I  noticed  it  at  the  time. 
And  so  he  is  a  Rexanian !  That  is  very  in- 
teresting. You  were  kind  enough  to  say  a 
moment  ago,  Miss  Strong,  that  you  owe  me 
a  debt  of  gratitude.  That  is  hardly  true,  for 
what  I  have  done  for  you  has  been  a  pleasure 
to  me.  But,  frankly,  you  can  do  me  a  kind- 
ness. I  should  very  much  like  to  meet  Count 
Szalaki." 

A  mournful  expression  rested  on  Kate 
Strong's  face. 

"I  am  sorry,"  she  said  regretfully,  "but  I 
cannot  gratify  your  wish.  We — we — don't 
know  where  Count  Szalaki  is." 

Norman  Benedict  sprang  up  in  excitement. 
There  was  something  in  the  girl's  face  and 
voice  that  revived  the  nervous  tremor  that 
had  affected  him  when  the  tremendous  pos- 
sibilities of  the  hints  thrown  out  by  Ludo- 
vics  had  first  seriously  impressed  him. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  he  asked,  eager- 
ly, "  that  Count  Szalaki  has  disappeared?" 

"  We  have  seen  and  heard  nothing  of  him 
since  the  night  he  dined  with  us,"  answered 
Kate. 

The  reporter  paced  up  and  down  the  room 
impatiently. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  him?"  he  cried, 
at  length.  "  Are  you  sure,  Miss  Strong,  that 
• — that  his  title  was  genuine?" 

Kate  had  found  the  reporter's  excitement 
contagious,  and  she  did  not  notice  the  bald 


104  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

discourtesy  of  his  question.  Her  desire  to 
gain  Benedict  as  an  ally  in  her  efforts  to  re- 
establish the  reputation  of  her  father's  guest 
had  become  irresistible. 

"  We  know,"  she  admitted,  "  that  there  is 
no  such  title  as  that  of  Count  Szalaki  in  Rex- 
ania." 

Norman  Benedict  stood  still  and  looked 
down  at  her  with  an  expression  of  eager  in- 
terest on  his  face  for  which  she  could  not 
satisfactorily  account. 

At  that  moment  the  carriage  in  which  Ru- 
dolph had  gone  on  his  futile  mission  in 
search  of  a  physician  rattled  up  to  the  gate, 
and  before  the  reporter  could  put  further 
questions  to  Kate  the  lodge-keeper  had  en- 
tered the  room. 

"  The  doctor  will  be  here  directly,  Miss 
Strong,"  said  Rudolph,  nervously.  "  Shall  I 
dismiss  the  carriage?" 

"  Let  the  carriage  wait,"  answered  Norman 
Benedict,  harshly.  Striding  up  to  the  pale- 
faced  Rexanian,  he  said,  in  a  stern  voice : 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  in  Rexania,  man,  of  a 
certain  Count  Szalaki?" 

It  was,  in  a  sense,  a  random  shot,  but  it 
struck  home.  Rudolph's  face  looked  like  a 
mask  of  bluish-white  paste  in  the  twilight 
gloom  of  the  darkening  chamber.  He  put 
up  his  hand,  as  if  to  ward  off  a  blow.  Kate 
Strong  strained  her  eyes  to  catch  the  chang- 
ing expression  on  the  Rexanian's  counte- 
nance. A  deep  silence  fell  upon  the  trio. 
Suddenly  the  answer  came  to  the  reporter's 
question,  but  not  from  Rudolph  Smolenski. 

Muffled  by  distance,  but  unmistakable  in 
its  horrid  import,  there  echoed  from  the 
manor-house  the  ugly  crash  of  a  pistol-shot. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

MRS.  BREVOORT  and  Ned  Strong  had  found, 
upon  inquiry  at  the  club-house,  that  Kate 
had  not  been  seen  since  she  had  wheeled 
away  with  them.  They  stood  at  a  corner 
of  the  piazza  and  held  council  with  each 
other. 

"  How  careless  you  have  been,  Mr.  Strong !" 
Mrs.  Brevoort  was  saying,  chidingly.  "  It  is 
well  that  you  have  decided  never  to  marry. 
How  can  a  man  who  loses  track  of  a  sister 
hope  to  keep  his  eye  on  a  wife?" 

"You  are  exacting,"  he  returned.  "Why 
should  I  expect  to  perform  miracles?  I  am  not 
possessed  of  second-sight,  nor  of  eyes  in  the 
back  of  my  head.  But,  Mrs.  Brevoort,  it  is 
a  condition,  not  a  theory,  that  confronts  us, 
as  a  famous  man  once  said.  Now,  if  you  are 
tired  of  wheeling,  won't  you  walk  over  to 
our  old  house  with  me?  Kate  did  not  come 
down  the  hill,  you  remember.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  something  may  have  happened 
to  her  wheel,  and  that  she  stopped  to  have 
Rudolph,  our  lodge-keeper,  repair  it.  It  is 
not  much  of  a  walk,  by  a  short  cut  I  know 
how  to  make." 

"  I  think,  Mr.  Strong,"  answered  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort, "  that  you  had  better  go  alone.  It  is 
getting  late,  and  1  must  dress  at  once." 

"  A  woman's  eternal  excuse  for  unsocia- 
bility!"  cried  the  youth  petulantly.  Then 


J06  KINGS  IN    ADVERSITY. 

he  grew  beseeching.  "  I  ask  so  few  favors 
of  you,  Mrs.  Brevoort,"  he  pleaded.  "  And, 
remember,  Kate  may  have  met  with  an  acci- 
dent. She  would  feel  very  lonely  in  that  old 
lodge  if  I  had  to  go  for  a  doctor.  I  appeal 
unselfishly  to  you,  Mrs.  Brevoort.  Walk  over 
to  the  lodge  with  me.  Please  do !" 

Mrs.  Brevoort  gazed  at  the  blue  waters  of 
the  Sound  musingly.  She  was  not  anxious 
to  bring  a  problem  that  must  soon  be  solved 
to  an  issue  at  once.  But  she  was  really  wor- 
ried about  Kate  Strong  and  impatient  to 
learn  what  had  befallen  her  best  friend. 
Furthermore,  she  knew  that  the  short  cut  to 
the  manor-house  was  not  a  lover's  lane,  in 
that  the  path  for  the  most  part  demanded  the 
single-file  formation.  Her  hesitation,  there- 
fore, was  short-lived,  and  she  was  soon  hurry- 
ing away  from  the  club-house,  with  Ned 
Strong,  in  a  gay  mood,  striding  along  at  her 
side. 

"  I  cannot  understand,  Mr.  Strong,"  she  re- 
marked severely,  after  they  had  left  the 
main  road  and  were  following  the  narrow 
path  that  led  toward  the  rear  of  the  manor- 
house,  "  I  cannot  understand  how  you  can  be 
so  light-hearted  under  these  depressing  cir- 
cumstances." 

"  The  fact  is,  Mrs.  Brevoort,"  explained 
Ned,  "  that  I  am  not  greatly  worried  about 
Kate;  and  as  for  myself,  I  was  never  more 
contented  in  my  life." 

He  glanced  back  at  Mrs.  Brevoort  merrily. 

"  And  you  will  be  late  for  dinner,  too,"  ex- 
claimed his  companion.  "  Surely  you  are  one 
man  among  many  thousands,  Mr.  Strong,  to 
grow  jolly  with  such  a  dismal  fate  staring  you 
in  the  face." 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       107 

The  youth  laughed  aloud.  Then  he  half- 
turned  around,  and  said,  impressively : 

"  I  eat  nothing  in  these  joyous  days,  Mrs. 
Brevoort.  Food  has  not  passed  my  lips  for 
a  week.  I  live  on  air,  I  walk  on  air,  I  am 
an  airy  nothing  with  a  local  habitation  and 
a  name.  Speaking  of  that  name,  Mrs. 
Brevoort " 

"  But  we  weren't  speaking  of  that  name," 
cried  the  little  mondaine,  emphatically.  "  You 
were  talking  about  the  ethereal  nature  of  your 
favorite  food.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  re- 
quire something  more  substantial  than  coun- 
try air  to  satisfy  my  appetite.  You  will  ob- 
serve, Mr.  Strong,  that  this  is  a  veiled  hint 
intended  to  make  you  increase  your  pace.  At 
the  rate  at  which  you  are  now  walking,  it 
will  be  scandalously  late  before  we  get  any- 
thing to  eat." 

"  Alas,"  cried  Ned,  in  assumed  despair, 
"  how  little  encouragement  a  man  gets  to 
cultivate  the  poetic  side  of  his  nature  in  these 
days!  Just  look  at  this  scene  before  us,"  he 
continued,  turning  as  they  reached  the  top 
of  a  knoll  that  gave  them  a  view  of  the  Sound 
and  of  the  rear  balcony  of  the  manor-house. 
They  stood  in  silence  for  a  time,  watching 
the  changing  tints  that  the  early  evening 
scattered  with  prodigality  across  the  surface 
of  the  land-locked  sea.  Over  toward  the 
Long  Island  shore  a  brilliantly  lighted  steam- 
boat, a  great  hotel  escaping  by  water  toward 
the  east,  threw  its  merry  gleam  across  the 
waves. 

Suddenly  Ned  Strong  laid  his  hand  ex- 
citedly on  his  companion's  arm. 

"  Look,"  he  whispered,  pointing  to  the  bal- 
cony of  the  manor-house.  "  What  is  that?" 


I08  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

A  small  dark  figure  could  be  seen  creeping 
toward  one  of  the  windows  that  opened  on 
the  balcony. 

"  There  is  a  light  inside  the  room,"  ex- 
claimed Ned,  almost  trembling  with  excite- 
ment. At  that  instant  the  dark  form  arose 
from  its  recumbent  attitude  and  stood  in  bold 
relief  against  the  window.  On  the  instant 
there  came  the  crash  of  breaking  glass,  then 
silence. 

"He's  a  burglar!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort,  her  voice  shaking  perceptibly.  Some- 
how, she  did  not  notice  that  Ned  Strong's 
arm  had  been  thrown  around  her  protect- 
ingly. 

At  that  moment  the  sharp,  evil  crack  of  a 
pistol  startled  the  night  air. 

"  A  burglar  or  a  murderer,"  muttered  Ned 
Strong,  awe-struck.  "  Come,"  he  cried,  al- 
most carrying  his  companion  forward  in  his 
excitement.  "  Come,  we  must  get  to  the 
lodge  at  once  and  find  Rudolph!  Cornel 
Quick!" 


CHAPTER  XX. 

RUDOLPH  SMOLENSKI  had  relieved  the  in- 
tense gloom  that  had  settled  over  his  inhos- 
pitable drawing-room  by  lighting  two  oil 
lamps  and  several  candles,  much  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  his  unwelcome  guests.  The  pis- 
tol-shot that  had  emphasized  their  proximity 
to  crime  had  for  an  instant  seemed  to  nail 
down  the  curtain  of  night  at  one  blow.  Ru- 
dolph's activity  in  making  the  apartment 
more  cheerful  had  greatly  tended  to  relieve 
the  strain  of  the  situation. 

"I  am  in  a  quandary,"  Benedict  had  said 
to  Kate.  "  I  hesitate  to  leave  you  here  at 
this  moment,  but  there  is  a  great  mystery  to 
be  solved  at  once." 

Rudolph's  hand  trembled  perceptibly  as  he 
held  a  match  to  a  candle's  wick.  There  was 
something  in  his  manner  that  affected  Kate 
Strong  unpleasantly.  Her  overwrought 
nerves  exaggerated  the  uncanny  features  of 
her  surroundings,  and  she  grew  cold  at  the 
thought  of  Benedict's  departure. 

At  that  instant  a  door  opened  at  the  rear 
of  the  lodge,  and  Mrs.  Brevoort  and  Ned 
Strong,  groping  through  a  dark  hallway 
toward  a  gleam  of  light,  burst  into  the  room. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Kate?"  cried  Mrs. 
Brevoort,  rushing  toward  her  friend,  while 
her  companion  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  scrutinizing,  with  a  puzzled  expres- 


110  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

sion  in  his  eyes,  the  disturbed  faces  of  Bene- 
dict and  Rudolph. 

"  Rudolph,"  cried  Ned  Strong,  suppressed 
excitement  in  his  voice,  "  a  crime  has  been 
committed  at  the  house — perhaps  a  murder. 
What  do  you  know  about  it?" 

Norman  Benedict  had  been  relieved  of  all 
responsibility,  so  far  as  Kate  Strong  was  con- 
cerned. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said  to  Ned  Strong,  "  but 
would  it  not  be  well  for  us  to  go  up  to  the 
manor-house  at  once?"  Benedict  did  not  lack 
courage,  but,  under  the  circumstances,  he 
was  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  having  an  ally 
in  his  tour  of  investigation. 

Rudolph  Smolenski,  pale  with  apprehen- 
sion, but  rendered  active  by  the  dark  possi- 
bilities that  threatened  him,  had  placed  him- 
self at  the  doorway  through  which  the  young 
men  threatened  to  pass.  The  Rexanian  put 
up  a  hand  with  a  gesture  that  was  both 
threatening  and  imploring. 

"Remain  here,  Mr.  Strong;  and  you,  sir. 
It  may  not  be  safe  for  you  to  go  up  to  the 
house." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Rudolph?"  asked  Ned 
Strong,  sternly.  "  Be  careful,  man.  You 
are  putting  yourself  in  a  very  questionable 
position.  Stand  aside,  and  let  us  pass.  If 
there's  any  one  in  great  danger,  Rudolph,  I 
think  you're  the  man.  Stand  aside." 

Kate  Strong  and  Mrs.  Brevoort,  with  hand 
clasped  in  hand,  were  seated  side  by  side  on 
the  sofa,  gazing  with  disturbed  faces  at  the 
three  men. 

"  Listen  to  Rudolph,  Ned,"  implored  Kate. 
"  He  may  be  right.  You  may  run  a  great 
risk  in  going  to  the  house." 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.      Ill 

Rudolph  still  stubbornly  held  his  place  in 
front  of  the  door.  Norman  Benedict's  pa- 
tience was  at  an  end. 

"  Come,  come,  man,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Out 
of  the  way,  or  we'll  be  obliged  to  use  force. 
Do  you  hear  me?" 

Mrs.  Brevoort  had  arisen.  Ned  Strong  felt 
a  gentle  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  Don't  go  up  to  that  gloomy  old  house, 
Mr.  Strong,"  she  implored,  looking  up  at  him 
with  an  expression  on  her  face  that  made 
life  seem  very  precious  to  him  at  that  mo- 
ment. 

"  There  is  not  the  slightest  cause  to  worry," 
he  said,  quietly,  although  his  pulse  was  beat- 
ing feverishly.  "  This  gentleman — Mr. — 
Mr. ?" 

"  My  name  is  Benedict,"  answered  the  re- 
porter, impatiently.  "  I  found  Miss  Strong 
with  a  sprained  ankle  near  the  gate,  and  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  being  of  service  to  her. 
But  you'll  pardon  me  for  using  heroic  meas- 
ures. I  have  wasted  too  much  time  already." 

With  these  words,  Benedict  seized  Ru- 
dolph by  the  collar  of  his  coat  and  hurled 
the  pudgy  little  Rexanian  into  a  far  corner 
of  the  room.  Then  he  bolted  through  the 
door. 

"  I  can't  let  him  go  alone,"  cried  Ned 
Strong,  reluctantly  but  firmly  removing  Mrs. 
Brevoort's  hand  from  his  arm.  "  Remain 
here.  We'll  be  back  at  once." 

Thus  saying,  he  dashed  down  the  dark  cor- 
ridor in  pursuit  of  Benedict. 

Rudolph  Smolenski  had  managed  to  totter 
to  his  feet  and  was  gazing  about  the  room  in 
a  dazed  way.  The  reporter  had,  in  the  ex- 
citement of  the  moment,  used  more  force  in 


112  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

removing  the  Rexanian  from  his  path  than 
was  actually  necessary  for  his  purpose. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  all  this,  Kate?"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Brevoort,  reseating  herself  be- 
side the  girl,  and  looking  at  the  ludicrous 
picture  that  Rudolph  presented,  with  a  ner- 
vous smile  on  her  face. 

"  I'm  sure  I've  got  beyond  the  point  where 
my  opinion  is  worth  much,"  answered  Kate, 
wearily.  "  My  ankle  aches,  and  the  whole 
universe  seems  to  be  nothing  but  an  exposed 
nerve." 

"Poor  girl,  how  thoughtless  I've  been!" 
cried  Mrs.  Brevoort,  gently,  pushing  Kate 
back  into  a  reclining  position.  "  Get  me  some 
cold  water,  man,"  she  said  to  the  lodge- 
keeper,  whose  wits  were  beginning  to  return 
to  his  aching  head. 

"  That  is  much  better,"  said  Kate  grate- 
fully, a  few  moments  later.  "  But  is  it  not 
strange  that  the  doctor  does  not  come? — Ru- 
dolph, did  you  see  Dr.  Moore?" 

"I  did,  Miss  Strong,"  answered  the  Rex- 
anian, with  reckless  defiance  of  the  truth. 
He  had  begun  to  feel  that  one  lie  more  or 
less  would  not  make  much  difference  with 
the  retribution  that  threatened  to  overtake 
him  so  soon.  "  He  should  have  been  here 
long  before  this." 

The  minutes  dragged  slowly  along.  To 
the  two  women  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour 
seemed  almost  interminable.  Mrs.  Brevoort 
used  part  of  it  to  describe  to  Kate  Strong  the 
weird  scene  that  she  and  Ned  had  witnessed 
just  before  the  pistol-shot  had  punctuated  the 
course  of  events. 

Morose,  but  alert,  Rudolph  Smolensk:  over- 
heard her  story,  and  his  sluggish  brain  began 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       113 

to  grasp  the  fact  that  it  was  high  time  for  him 
to  act.  Hitherto  he  had  been  tenacious  of  a 
lingering  hope  that  he  had  not  already  for- 
feited his  situation.  The  blow  he  had  re- 
ceived when  he  struck  the  floor  had  not 
tended  to  give  him  a  clear  idea  of  the  help- 
lessness of  his  position.  But  as  it  dawned 
upon  him  that  Ludovics  must  have  been  the 
man  who  fired  the  pistol  at  the  manor-house, 
a  cold  sweat  broke  out  upon  his  hands  and 
brow.  He  had  been  the  last  man  to  talk  to 
Ludovics.  and  the  driver  of  the  carriage  that 
still  waited  outside  the  lodge  gate  had  been 
a  witness  to  their  conversation.  If  Ludo- 
vics had  murdered  the  prince,  he,  Rudolph, 
would  be  held  as  an  accessory  before  the 
fact. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Rudolph?"  asked 
Kate  suspiciously,  as  the  Rexanian  arose 
and  walked  unsteadily  toward  the  door  lead- 
ing into  the  corridor. 

"Just  outside  a  moment,  Miss  Strong,"  he 
faltered.  "  I  will  take  a  look  toward  the  big 
house  and  see  if  they  are  coming." 

"  Do,"  returned  Kate.  "  I  am  growing  very 
impatient,"  she  added,  turning  to  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort. 

They  sat  in  silence  for  a  time,  their  cold 
hands  pressed  together. 

Suddenly  they  heard  the  rattle  of  a  ram- 
shackle vehicle  as  it  passed  the  front  of  the 
house,  bound  cityward. 

"That's  strange,"  cried  Mrs.  Brevoort, 
springing  up.  "  What  does  it  mean?" 

It  meant  that  they  would  never  set  eyes 
upon  Rudolph  Smolenski  again.  But  they 
had  no  time  now  to  dwell  upon  his  disap- 
pearance. Hardly  had  the  noise  of  the  re- 
8 


114  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITV. 

treating  carriage  died  away  when  the  sound 
of  many  voices  reached  them  from  the  end  of 
the  corridor,  and  they  felt  a  mingled  sensation 
of  relief  and  apprehension  at  the  approaching 
footsteps  of  a  crowd. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

PRINCE  CARLO  was  seated  at  a  small, 
round,  mahogany  table  in  the  centre  of  his 
shadow-haunted  room.  Before  him  lay  a 
not  uninviting  repast.  Cold  meat,  cut-up 
peaches,  bread,  butter,  iced  coffee,  and  a 
dish  containing  a  kind  of  pickle  known  only 
to  Rexanians  strove  in  vain  to  tempt  his  ap- 
petite. Rukacs  had  spread  the  table  silently, 
but  with  an  air  of  deference  that  was  grate- 
ful to  the  captive  prince.  No  word  had  been 
spoken  between  them,  but  in  his  very  silence 
Rukacs  seemed  to  do  homage  to  the  youth's 
rank,  a  rank  that  the  conspirator  recognized 
in  practice  while  in  theory  he  denied  its  ex- 
istence. 

Evolution  has  not  yet  placed  man  so  far 
above  the  lower  order  of  animals  that  he 
does  not  in  his  heart  of  hearts  acknowledge 
the  tendency  of  nature  to  ratify  the  monar- 
chical idea.  He  finds  beneath  him  in  the 
scale  of  being  the  bees  setting  up  a  queen 
and  the  herds  of  wild  cattle  paying  homage 
to  a  king  bull.  He  discovers  that  the  pre- 
vailing conception  of  a  future  world,  even 
among  democrats,  pictures  God  upon  His 
throne,  surrounded  by  celestial  courtiers. 
Whether  he  looks  up  or  down,  therefore, 
man's  eye  rests  upon  the  concrete  manifesta- 
tions of  the  abstract  idea  of  royalty,  and, 
sweeping  the  whole  range  of  existence,  he 
sees  a  throne  beneath  his  feet  and  dreams  of 


Il6  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

another  somewhere  beyond  the  stars.  The 
old  cry,  "  Le  roi  esf  mart,  vive  le  roi,"  may 
have  in  it  the  germs  of  universal  truth  that  a 
nation  of  freemen  would  do  well  to  heed. 
The  substitution  of  a  political  "  boss"  for  an 
hereditary  ruler  may  be  a  step  forward,  but 
there  are  those  to  whom  it  looks  like  reaction 
illustrating  the  very  nature  of  things. 

Prince  Carlo  of  Rexania  sipped  his  coffee 
and  pondered  certain  questions  related  to  the 
propositions  just  laid  down.  Whatever  of 
weakness  there  had  been  in  the  voluptuous 
dreams  that  had  tempted  him  from  the  stern 
path  of  duty  in  the  afternoon  had  disap- 
peared, and  his  mind  now  dwelt  wholly  upon 
the  obligations  he  owed  to  his  people,  his  fore- 
fathers, and  himself.  As  the  thought  of  his 
physical  helplessness  at  that  moment  stung 
him  into  a  gesture  of  angry  impatience,  Ru- 
kacs  crossed  the  room  and  closed  the  window 
that  looked  out  upon  the  balcony,  the  window 
that  Prince  Carlo  had  vainly  attempted  to 
open  on  the  night  of  his  arrival.  Rukacs  un- 
derstood the  secret  of  its  fastenings,  and  si- 
lently, almost  stealthily,  took  an  unnecessary 
precaution  against  his  captive's  escape.  The 
manner  in  which  the  Rexanian  performed 
this  task  proved  that  he  was,  at  bottom, 
ashamed  of  the  rdle  he  was  playing  at  the 
moment. 

"  If  you  desire  anything,  your — your  royal 
highness,"  he  faltered,  as  he  recrossed  the 
room  and  placed  a  hand  upon  the  door  open- 
ing into  the  hall,  "  will  you  kindly  rap  three 
times  upon  the  floor?"  The  conspirator's 
flushed  face  bore  outward  evidence  of  his 
interior  agitation.  Rukacs  loved  freedom 
too  well  to  make  a  graceful  jailer. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       1 17 

Prince  Carlo  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of 
his  captor's  words,  and  on  the  instant  found 
himself  alone,  the  grating  sound  of  a  rusty 
key  again  serving  to  emphasize  the  chilling 
fact  that  he,  the  heir-apparent  to  the  throne 
of  Rexania,  was  a  prisoner  in  a  land  whose 
political  stock  in  trade  is  liberty. 

There  was  something  oppressive  in  the 
sudden  silence.  Prince  Carlo  glanced  fur- 
tively around  the  room.  He  had  become 
used  to  the  depressing  characteristics  of  the 
apartment,  and  the  antic  shadows  that  lurked 
in  the  far  corners  and  hovered  around  the 
curtains  of  the  bed  no  longer  affected  his 
nerves.  But  at  this  moment  the  uncanny 
spirit  of  the  old  house  seemed  to  whisper  to 
him  in  threatening  tones.  His  overwrought 
fancy  pictured  the  stealthy  assassin  creeping 
through  the  damp  corridors  and  dodging  be- 
hind crumbling  curtains  in  his  search  for 
blood.  A  door  creaked  on  its  hinges  in  some 
distant  corner  of  the  house;  he  started  as 
though  the  sound  carried  with  it  a  menace  he 
must  heed. 

Presently  the  reaction  came,  and  a  smile 
of  self-pity  played  about  his  clean-cut  mouth. 
With  an  impatient  gesture,  he  brushed  his 
damp  hair  back  from  his  brow  and  poured 
some  of  the  iced  coffee  into  a  glass.  He  was 
about  to  raise  the  draught  to  his  lips,  when 
the  conviction  seized  him  that  somebody's 
eyes  were  resting  upon  him.  A  shiver  went 
through  his  frame,  and  he  replaced  the  gob- 
let upon  the  table  with  trembling  hand. 
Courageous  though  Prince  Carlo  was  by  na- 
ture, there  was  a  weird,  uncanny  influence 
at  work,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  to  disturb  the 
balance  of  his  nervous  system. 


Il8  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Annoyed  at  himself,  the  youth  arose  from 
the  table,  and,  resting  one  hand  upon  the 
coverlet,  glanced  toward  the  window.  On 
the  instant  his  eyes  met  the  burning  gaze  of 
Ludovics,  who  crouched  outside  the  window, 
enraged  to  find  it  locked.  For  a  moment 
neither  the  prince  nor  the  madman  moved. 
Then,  with  one  bound,  the  latter  smashed 
his  way  through  the  glass,  and  cut  and  bleed- 
ing, a  ghastly,  crimson  incarnation  of  all  that 
is  hideous  in  the  cult  of  the  assassin,  he  faced 
Prince  Carlo  across  the  table,  while  the 
lamp  flickered  threateningly  as  the  night 
breeze  swept  through  the  window  into  the 
room. 

The  two  men  stood  motionless,  gazing  into 
each  other's  eyes.  The  blood-stained  mad- 
man, representative  of  all  that  is  most  hor- 
rible in  the  effort  of  man  to  escape  from  the 
tyranny  of  tradition  and  to  seek  higher 
things,  faced  the  incarnation  of  reaction,  the 
embodiment  of  obsolete  prerogatives  and 
time-dishonored  claims.  The  man  who  was 
in  the  right  was  mad ;  he  who  was  in  the 
wrong  was  sane.  Thus  did  they  represent, 
as  they  stood  facing  each  other  in  the  dim 
light  of  that  wind-beset  chamber,  ages  of 
human  history. 

The  glare  in  Ludovics'  eyes  faded  slowly 
as  he  looked  upon  the  pale,  strong,  beautiful 
face  of  the  youth  who  had  assumed  in  his 
wild  fancy  the  figure  of  a  tyrant  who  held 
wild  revelry  at  the  expense  of  the  people  in 
a  palace  here  at  hand.  What  gleam  of  reason 
returned  to  his  crazy  mind,  who  shall  say? 
There  was  no  bacchanalian  carnival  surround- 
ing the  prince;  only  a  simple  supper,  un- 
tasted,  spread  before  him.  He  was  not  mock- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       119 

ing  Ludovics,  but  only  looking  at  him  with 
sad,  splendid  eyes  that  stirred  the  dis- 
traught soul  of  the  madman  to  its  depths. 
Beneath  their  gaze  Ludovics  seemed  to  col- 
lapse and  slink  away.  He  turned,  with  a 
low  cry,  that  echoed  through  the  room  like 
the  wail  of  a  spirit  damned,  and  stumbled 
towards  the  window. 

Prince  Carlo  stood  motionless  at  the  table, 
watching  the  retreating  form  of  the  madman. 
Suddenly  Ludovics  drew  himself  erect  and 
turned  again  to  face  the  prince.  Raising  his 
pistol  slowly  until  the  muzzle  rested  against 
his  forehead,  Ludovics  said,  in  voice  so  calm 
that  it  seemed  to  come  from  a  man  whose 
mind  was  absolutely  normal : 

"  Your  majesty,  I  salute  you.  Accept  my 
homage." 

On  the  instant  he  pulled  the  trigger  and 
sent  a  bullet  crashing  through  his  crazy 
brain. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PRINCE  CARLO'S  face  was  pale  and  drawn 
and  his  eyes  gleamed  feverishly  as  he  turned 
from  the  ghastly  sight  in  front  of  him  and 
gazed  at  the  Rexanians  who  had  thronged 
upstairs  and  into  the  room.  Their  presence 
was  a  relief  to  him  at  that  moment. 

Posadowski  pushed  forward  through  the 
crowd  of  silent  and  awe-stricken  men.  Ap- 
proaching the  prince,  he  said : 

"  Your  royal  highness,  believe  me,  we  did 
not  know  that  this  man,"  pointing  to  the 
prostrate  form  of  the  suicide,  "  had  left  the 
city." 

Prince  Carlo  turned  toward  the  group, 
whose  white  faces  in  the  flickering  light 
thrown  out  by  the  wind-pestered  lamp  seemed 
to  haunt  the  room  like  ghosts.  The  youth's 
countenance  was  stern  and  menacing.  He 
had  held  up  a  hand  and  haughtily  enforced 
silence  upon  the  cowed  conspirators. 

"You  know  not,  my  countrymen,"  said 
Prince  Carlo,  in  a  low,  penetrating  voice, 
and  speaking  in  the  Rexanian  tongue,  "  how 
deep  is  the  grief  that  stirs  my  soul.  Yonder 
madman  sought  my  life.  His  murderous 
hand  was  turned  against  himself.  Who  shall 
say  what  power  it  was  that  intervened  to 
save  me  from  his  wrath?  Do  you  call  it 
chance?  If  such  it  was,  there  is  no  God. 
But  in  my  heart  of  hearts  I  know  that  in  this 
room  we  see  the  impress  of  a  mighty  hand. 


THE    CROWN   PRINCE    OF   REXANIA.      121 

The  fiat  of  the  King  of  kings  has  been 
obeyed.  You  plot  to  thwart  His  will.  As 
well  attempt  to  wound  the  stars  with  stones ! 
You  hold  me  here  a  prisoner.  You  think, 
blind,  feeble  children,  that  you  can  mould  a 
nation's  destiny,  can  dictate  to  the  Omnipo- 
tent the  future  of  a  race:  look  upon  the 
bloody  form  of  that  unhappy  man  and  learn 
the  lesson  that  God  reigns.  Listen !  There 
is  a  voice  that  tells  me  that  I  must  mount  my 
father's  throne.  It  tells  me  that  in  the  uni- 
versal plan  that  makes  for  higher  things  the 
part  that  I  must  take  lies  far  from  hence.  I 
am  no  tyrant:  I  do  not  crave  the  awful 
power  that  he  who  wields  a  sceptre  may 
usurp.  My  countrymen,  I  will  be  frank  with 
you.  To  live  in  peace  in  this  fair  land,  to 
lose  my  name  and  all  the  burdens  that  it 
bears,  to  forget  that  on  my  shoulders  the 
welfare  of  a  nation  rests — ah,  this  were 
sweet.  But  a  sterner  fate  is  mine.  I  must 
go  back  to  the  land  we  love  so  well.  I  must 
some  day  take  up  the  weary  task  that  falls 
from  my  father's  tired  hands.  I  must  sacri- 
fice all  things  that  most  men  love  to  the  long 
service  of  a  people  not  yet  fitted  for  self- 
government.  Think  you  that  this  is  selfish- 
ness? I  tell  you  that,  if  my  love  of  country 
and  of  duty  were  not  greater  than  my  love 
of  self,  no  power  on  earth  could  force  me 
back  to  Rexania — to  the  land  that  offers  me 
a  throne  upon  which  no  man  can  sit  to-day 
in  peace.  A  crown?  A  crown  of  thorns 
awaits  me.  Power?  Only  so  long  as  it  is 
used  in  the  service  of  God  and  my  people. 
Homage?  The  only  homage  that  makes  glad 
the  heart  of  kings  comes  from  those  who 
praise  the  man  rather  than  the  monarch. 


122  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

Think  not,  my  countrymen,  that  I  am  plead- 
ing to  you  for  freedom.  Whether  you  grant 
it  or  withhold  it  now,  it  is  sure  to  come. 
But  when  I  am  gone  you  will  reflect  that  I 
go  not  to  a  bed  of  roses,  but  to  a  couch  made 
of  iron,  around  which  mighty  shadows  lurk. 
Pardon  me  for  so  long  detaining  you,  but 
remember  me  in  the  days  to  come  as  one  who 
forgives  you  in  your  errors,  and  who  bears 
you  no  ill-will." 

While  the  prince  had  been  speaking,  two 
men  had  joined  the  group  at  the  doorway, 
Ned  Strong  and  Norman  Benedict.  They 
gazed  with  amazement  on  the  scene  before 
them.  Pushing  his  way  through  the  yielding 
throng,  Ned  Strong  stood  before  the  prince. 

"Count  Szalaki,"  he  exclaimed,  extending 
his  hand,  "  this  is  the  last  place  on  earth  in 
which  I  had  expected  to  find  you.  But,  as 
your  host,  I  give  you  welcome." 

"  Mr.  Strong !"  cried  Prince  Carlo,  in  aston- 
ishment :  "  I  do  not  understand.  You  say  I 
am  your  guest?" 

Ned  Strong  smiled  grimly  as  he  cast  his 
eyes  over  the  group  of  startled  Rexani'ans. 

"  I  fear,"  he  sad,  sarcastically,  "  that  my 
welcome  cannot  include  so  large  a  party.  I 
suppose, '  he  went  on,  addressing  Posadow- 
ski,  who  had  not  slunk  back  into  the  throng, 
"  I  suppose  that  Rudolph  Smolenski  is  re- 
sponsible for  your  presence  here?" 

The  arch-conspirator  bowed  sullenly. 

"And  who  is  this  man,  my  guest— Count 
Szalaki?"  asked  Strong,  sternly. 

"He  is  the  Crown  Prince  Carlo,  heir-ap- 
parent to  the  throne  of  Rexania,"  answered 
Posadowski,  a  note  of  triumph  in  his  voice. 

Ned  Strong  turned  and  met  the  large,  sad 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       1 23 

eyes  of  the  youth  who  had  been  relegated  in 
his  mind  to  that  terra  incognita  where  frauds 
and  adventurers  lurk  and  plot.  The  blood 
rushed  to  his  face  as  he  realized  that  his  re- 
cent words  of  welcome  had  been  tipped  with 
sarcasm  wrought  by  suspicion. 

"Permit  me  to  explain,  Mr.  Strong,"  re- 
marked Prince  Carlo,  quietly,  while  Norman 
Benedict,  glancing  excitedly  at  his  watch, 
pushed  forward  toward  the  central  group. 
"  These  men  are  dreamers.  Less  mad  than 
yonder  suicide,  whose  death  shall  serve  them 
for  a  warning  and  a  sign,  they  plot  to  change 
the  laws  of  God  and  man.  How  they  learned 
my  secret  matters  not.  All  that  is  essential 
now  is  that  a  power  greater  than  earth  holds 
has  rendered  vain  their  plots  and  schemes 
and  crimes.  Let  them  reflect  upon  the  mys- 
terj'  that  surrounds  the  ways  of  God.  They 
brought  me  to  this  house.  Behold,  I  find 
myself  the  guest  of  the  one  man  in  many 
millions  I  have  cause  to  call  my  friend !  One 
of  their  brethren  breaks  through  yonder  win- 
dow, bent  upon  my  death.  As  I  stand  erect 
before  him,  the  bullet  that  was  meant  for  me 
goes  crashing  through  his  brain !  Oh,  blind 
and  foolish  children,  learn  that  there  are 
mysteries  ye  cannot  solve.  Plot  no  longer 
to  change  the  fate  of  the  country  you  have 
wronged,  a  country  that  found  you  faithless 
years  ago  and  drove  you  from  her  heart. 
You  love  Rexania?  Then  show  your  love  by 
leaving  to  her  loyal  sons  her  future  and  the 
future  of  my  house.  No  man  can  serve  two 
masters.  Faithful  to  the  land  of  your  adop- 
tion, you  cannot  also  be  of  service  to  Rex- 
ania. Abandon  your  plots  and  stratagems, 
and  abide  by  the  lesson  of  this  night's  work. 


124  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Farewell. — Mr.  Strong,  I  am  at  your  ser- 
vice." 

Prince  Carlo  turned  abruptly  from  his 
countrymen  and  placed  his  hand  upon  Ned 
Strong's  arm.  The  latter  looked  about  him 
for  Norman  Benedict,  but  the  reporter  had 
disappeared. 

"Prince  Carlo,"  said  Ned  Strong,  "I  will 
take  you  to  the  lodge,  where  my  sister  will 
be  very  glad  to  renew  her  acquaintance  with 
you." 

"  Miss  Strong  is  here?"  exclaimed  the 
prince,  eagerly.  "  Indeed,  the  Fates  are 
kind  to  me  to-night."  A  smile  of  delight 
played  over  his  pale,  drawn  face. 

"  Will  you  wait  here  until  I  return?"  asked 
Ned  Strong  of  Posadowski.  "  There  are  sev- 
eral matters  about  which  I  must  consult 
you."  He  made  a  gesture  toward  a  black 
shadow  in  a  corner  near  the  window. 

"  I  will  stay  here  with  two  or  three  of 
my  men,"  answered  the  arch-conspirator 
deferentially.  "  We  are  truly  anxious.  Mr. 
Strong,  to  save  you  from  all  further  an- 
noyance." 

As  Prince  Carlo  and  Ned  Strong  crossed 
the  lawn  and  made  toward  the  lodge,  they 
found  themselves  followed  by  several  Rex- 
anians,  who  clung  close  to  them  but  main- 
tained a  respectful  silence.  Suddenly  Ned 
Strong  turned  and  faced  them. 

"  What  will  you  have?"  he  asked,  angrily. 
"  Is  it  not  enough  that  you  have  been  kid- 
nappers and  housebreakers,  without  becom- 
ing permanent  nuisances?" 

"  Pardon  us,  Mr.  Strong,"  answered  the  gi- 
gantic Posnovitch,  deferentially ;  "  we  have 
no  wish  to  annoy  you,  but  it  is  fitting  that 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.      125 

the  Crown  Prince  of  Rexania  should  have  a 
body-guard." 

Ned  Strong  placed  his  hand  upon  the«rm 
of  his  royal  friend. 

"  Your  countrymen,  Prince  Carlo,"  he  mur- 
mured, "  are  strangely  inconsistent.  They 
would  crucify  you  at  one  moment  and  crown 
you  the  next." 

"  'Tistrue,  my  friend, "re turned  the  prince 
sadly.  "  They  illustrate  the  fickleness  of  the 
human  race  both  in  its  dealings  with  kings 
and  with  God.  But  God  reigns,  and  kings 
still  live." 

At  this  moment  they  entered  the  corridor 
of  the  lodge  and  groped  their  way  toward 
the  room  in  which  Kate  Strong  and  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort  listened  apprehensively  to  the  sounds 
of  approaching  footsteps. 


CHAPTER  XXIII, 

"COUNT  SZALAKI!" 

To  the  men  who  heard  Kate  Strong  utter 
that  name  there  was  nothing  but  amazement 
in  her  voice,  but  to  the  sympathetic  ear  of 
Mrs.  Brevoort  there  was  that  in  her  friend's 
outcry  that  was  of  more  significance  than 
mere  surprise. 

Rudolph's  parlor  presented  at  that  instant 
a  picturesque  appearance.  At  the  doorway 
leading  into  the  corridor  stood  Prince  Carlo 
and  Ned  Strong,  while  in  the  dim  light  be- 
hind them  could  be  seen  the  grim  faces  of 
several  Rexanians.  Kate  Strong,  her  cheeks 
pale  from  the  nervous  strain  of  recent  events, 
but  with  eyes  that  gleamed  with  delight  at 
this  moment,  was  seated  on  the  sofa,  facing 
the  doorway,  while  Mrs.  Brevoort  stood  by 
her  side,  her  hand  resting  on  the  girl's  shoul- 
der. 

The  Rexanian  prince  crossed  the  room  hur- 
riedly, and,  bending  down  with  infinite  grace, 
kissed  Kate's  upraised  hand. 

"  Your  brother  told  me  you  were  here,"  he 
said,  and  added,  with  convincing  simplicity, 
"  His  words  made  me  very  happy." 

Ned  Strong  had  approached  the  little 
group. 

"  Mrs.  Brevoort,"  he  said,  with  great  solem- 
nity, "  permit  me  to  present  to  you" — here  he 
glanced  at  Kate  for  an  instant — "  permit  me 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       127 

to  present  to  you  the  Crown  Prince  Carlo  of 
Rexania." 

A  tinge  of  red  appeared  in  the  royal 
youth's  pale  cheeks  as  he  gracefully  ac- 
knowledged Ned's  words  of  introduction. 
Amazement,  perhaps  dismay,  was  written 
on  Kate  Strong's  face.  She  was  looking  up 
at  the  Rexanian  questioningly. 

"  You  are  a  long  way  from  home,  your 
royal  highness,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brevoort,  a 
mischievous  gleam  in  her  eyes.  "  But  I  am 
pleased  to  see  you  again." 

"  We  have  met  before,  then?"  inquired  the 
prince,  a  puzzled  look  on  his  face. 

"  No,  but  I  have  not  forgotten  your  face. 
I  saw  you  at  the  head  of  your  troops  in  Rex- 
opolis,  two  years  ago.  I  did  not  then  imag- 
ine that  I  should  ever  meet  you  in  such  a 
place  as  this." 

"  The  unhappy  chance  that  brought  me 
here  has,  I  assure  you,  its  compensation," 
returned  the  prince,  smilingly,  as  he  turned 
and  looked  down  into  the  troubled  face  of 
Kate  Strong. 

"  Sit  down  here  by  me,"  said  the  girl,  to 
whom  conflicting  emotions  had  come  as  an 
antidote  to  physical  pain.  She  had  almost 
forgotten  that  her  sprained  ankle  was  aching 
stubbornly.  "  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  has 
happened  to  you  since  we  last  met.  You  owe 
me  an  apology,  you  know.  But  wait;  I  had 
almost  forgotten.  Are  you  really  the  crown 
prince?  Then,  of  course,  I  have  no  right  to 
ask  for  an  explanation.  The  king  can  do  no 
wrong,  I  believe." 

Prince  Carlo  seated  himself  by  her  side, 
while  a  sad  smile  crossed  his  pale  face. 

"  How  out  of  place  the  old  ideas  appear !" 


128  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

he  exclaimed.  "  But,  frankly,  it  has  been  a 
heavy  cross  to  me,  Miss  Strong,  to  feel  that 
you  might  wonder  at  my  lack  of  courtesy. 
But  I  have  been  a  helpless  prisoner  in  the 
hands  of  yonder  men." 

Kate  looked  at  him  wondering!)'. 

"Tell  me,  Prince  Carlo,"  she  said,  in  a  lew 
voice,  "  tell  me,  what  did  they  wish  with 
you?" 

Prince  Carlo  glanced  searchingly  around 
the  room  before  replying.  Mrs.  Brevoort 
and  Ned  Strong  were  standing  near  the  door- 
way, talking  to  the  Rexanians  who  had  ap- 
pointed themselves  a  body-guard  to  their 
recent  prisoner. 

"  They  would  have  me,"  he  answered 
gloomily,  "  betray  my  trust  and  leave  my 
country  to  chaos  and  despair." 

Her  eyes  sought  his,  but  he  failed  to  meet 
her  gaze. 

"  And  you — you  will  go  back  to  Rexania?" 
she  asked  falteringly. 

"It  is  imperative,"  he  answered,  knowing 
that  her  eyes  were  upon  his  face,  but  keep- 
ing his  gaze  fixed  on  the  shadows  that  lurked 
in  the  corners  of  the  room.  "  Already  it  may 
be  too  late  for  me  to  undo  the  damage  these 
men  have  wrought.  What  has  happened  in 
Rexopolis  I  do  not  know,  but  I  dread  to  learn 
the  truth."  He  turned  and  looked  down  into 
her  face.  She  smiled  up  at  him  sadly. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  you,"  she  whispered. 
What  she  meant  by  the  words  she  hardly 
knew.  The  world  seemed  topsy-turvy  to  her 
fevered  mind.  Her  life,  usually  so  unevent- 
ful, had  been  filled  this  day  with  startling 
events,  and  she  was  worn  with  physical  pain 
and  the  turmoil  of  conflicting  emotions. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       129 

She  wondered  vaguely  that  she  had  not  been 
more  surprised  to  learn  that  the  heir-ap- 
parent to  a  European  throne  had  been  a 
prisoner  in  the  house  where  she  was  born. 
She  realized  with  annoyance  that  her  mind 
refused  to  confine  itself  to  the  bare  facts  pre- 
sented to  it,  but  showed  an  inclination  to 
make  short  journeys  into  the  realms  of 
dreams  and  fancies. 

Prince  Carlo  was  gazing  into  her  eyes 
earnestly. 

"  Your  sympathy  is  very  sweet  to  me,"  he 
said,  in  a  voice  that  was  vibrant  with  sup- 
pressed longing.  "  How  much  it  means  to 
me — may  I  tell  you?" 

His  voice  had  sunk  to  a  whisper. 

"  If  you  wish,"  she  murmured,  her  lips 
trembling  as  she  spoke. 

"  It  means,"  he  went  on  firmly,  "  a  glimpse 
of  a  paradise  I  may  never  seek.  It  means 
that  I  look  at  the  fairest  sight  on  earth 
through  the  bars  of  an  iron  cage.  It  means 
that  I  will  treasure  in  my  heart,  through  all 
the  dark,  grim  years  that  call  to  me,  a  mem- 
ory that  shall  be  to  me  the  brightest  gem  of 
life.  It  means,  Miss  Strong,  that  I,  a  king, 
am  more  blessed  by  those  dear  words  you 
spoke  than  by  all  the  tawdry  glory  of  my 
throne  and  crown." 

He  was  silent,  and  the  girl  placed  a  cold 
hand  in  his  for  an  instant  and  then  withdrew 
it  quickly. 

"  We  have  taken  the  liberty,  your  royal 
highness,"  said  Mrs.  Brevoort  breezily,  as 
she  and  Ned  Strong  crossed  the  room,  "  of 
sending  one  of  your  attendants  to  New  Ro- 
chelle  for  a  carriage.  It  seems  that  Ru- 
dolph," she  continued,  glancing  at  Kate, 

9 


130  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  has  made  his  escape  in  the  vehicle  that 
waited  outside.  And  now  we  are  anxious 
to  discover  if  your  lodge-keeper  left  any- 
thing to  eat  in  the  house.  It  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  we  fortify  ourselves  in  some 
way  for  the  ride  before  us." 

The  crown  prince  had  arisen  and  beckoned 
to  the  towering  Posnovitch,  who  blocked  the 
doorway. 

"  Go  up  to  the  house,  man,  and  tell  Posa- 
dowski  to  send  us  whatever  he  has  to  eat  and 
drink.  I  believe,"  he  continued,  smiling  at 
Mrs.  Brevoort,  "  that  we  are  not  in  imminent 
danger  of  starving  to  death." 

"  And  may  I  repay  your  present  hospitality, 
your  royal  highness,"  cried  Mrs.  Brevoort 
gayly,  "  by  numbering  you  among  my  guests 
at  dinner  to-morrow?" 

Prince  Carlo  glanced  furtively  at  the  avert- 
ed face  of  Kate  Strong,  as  he  said,  in  a  voice 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  sprightly  tones  in 
which  the  invitation  had  been  extended  to 
him: 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  Mrs.  Brevoort,  to  be 
obliged  to  decline  your  hospitality,  but — 
but  I  shall  sail  for  Europe  early  to-morrow 
morning." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

HALF  an  hour  later  a  carriage  drew  tm  &t 
the  lodge  gate.  A  cold  supper,  of  which 
Mrs.  Brevoort  and  Ned  Strong  had  partaken 
with  forced  gayety,  had  vindicated  Prince 
Carlo's  assertion  that  the  danger  of  imme- 
diate starvation  had  never  been  imminent. 
But  the  sound  of  carriage-wheels  came  as  a 
great  relief  to  them  all,  for  the  gloomy  fea- 
tures of  their  environment  had  been  empha- 
sized as  time  passed  by.  Ned  Strong  had 
held  a  whispered  consultation  in  the  corridor 
with  Posadowski,  who  had  come  down  from 
the  manor-house  for  instructions,  and  the 
train  of  thought  suggested  by  his  visit  had 
not  tended  to  decrease  the  melancholy  nature 
of  their  surroundings. 

As  the  carriage  rolled  away  from  the  lodge 
entrance,  with  Mrs.  Brevoort  and  Ned  Strong 
facing  Kate  and  Prince  Carlo,  who  occupied 
the  back  seat,  a  simultaneous  sigh  of  relief 
broke  from  the  quartette. 

"  This  is  a  new  sensation,"  whispered  Mrs. 
Brevoort  to  Ned  Strong.  "  Breaking  jail 
with  a  captive  prince!  Is  it  not  delightful?" 

"  Which  is  the  captive  prince?"  returned 
Ned,  bending  down  to  get  a  better  view  of 
her  face. 

"  Never  mind,"  she  answered.  "  I  was  about 
to  say  that  nobody  fully  appreciates  freedom 
until  he  has  spent  a  certain  amount  of  time 
in  captivity." 


132  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Her  remark  silenced  the  youth  for  a  mo- 
ment. The  longer  he  weighed  it,  the  more 
discouraging  did  it  seem  to  him. 

"  Perhaps,"  he  suggested,  "  there  may  be 
a  vast  difference  in  jailers." 

"Ah,  but  you  beg  the  question, "exclaimed 
Mrs.  Brevoort  argumentatively. 

"  I  fear,"  he  put  in,  hastily,  "  that  that  is 
all  I  have  the  courage  to  do  with  it.  There 
is  always  safety  in  begging  a  question.  Such 
a  course  at  least  defers  the  day  of  doom." 

Mrs.  Brevoort  laughed  outright,  and  looked 
up  at  Ned  Strong  mockingly. 

"  Are  you  threatened  with  a  day  of  doom, 
Mr.  Strong?" 

"  Perhaps,"  he  answered  mournfully.  Then 
he  exclaimed,  with  cheerfulness,  "  At  all 
events,  it  is  to  be  preceded  by  an  evening 
of  perfect  bliss."  She  drew  a  bit  closer  to 
him  at  the  words,  as  if  to  emphasize  their 
truth. 

The  carriage,  rolling  noisily  toward  the 
city,  contained  at  that  moment  a  condensed 
illustration  of  the  curious  vagaries  that  per- 
tain to  human  affairs.  Cupid  was  perched 
upon  the  box  beside  the  driver,  and  chuckled 
mischievously  to  himself  as  he  realized  what 
was  going  on  within  the  vehicle.  Well  he 
knew,  the  little  rascal,  that  two  of  his  vic- 
tims looked  into  the  future  with  hope  and 
joy.  The  other  arrows  that  he  had  used  had 
made  wounds  for  which  time  could  promise 
no  relief.  But  it  is  in  such  contrasts  as  these 
that  Cupid  finds  the  pleasure  of  his  impish 
life.  The  humdrum  contentment  that  would 
have  made  the  quartette  less  romantic  but 
more  evenly  blessed  would  have  bored  Cupid 
with  the  crowd.  He  would  have  placed  a 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.      133 

substitute  upon  the  box,  and  have  flown 
away,  to  continue  his  sport  with  deluded 
human  hearts,  where  he  could  see  his  victims 
wince  beneath  his  shafts. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  Prince  Carlo,  "  why  you 
are  so  silent.  Are  you  in  great  pain?"  His 
voice  had  in  it  a  caressing  note  as  he  whis- 
pered to  Kate  Strong  and  tried  to  look  into 
her  downcast  face. 

"  I  hardly  know,"  she  answered  wearily. 
"  I  feel  very  tired." 

What  had  been  to  the  prince  a  shadowy 
temptation,  painting  day-dreams  before  his 
eyes,  as  he  gazed  that  afternoon  on  the  sun- 
kissed  waters  of  the  Sound,  had  taken  to 
itself  a  concrete  form.  Here  beside  him  was 
the  one  woman  in  all  the  world  for  whom  he 
would  willingly  renounce  all  the  glittering 
but  unsubstantial  glory  of  his  kingship.  He 
had  said,  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  that 
he  would  go  back  to  the  troubled  land  to 
which  his  duty  called  him ;  but  his  heart  re- 
belled against  his  avowed  purpose  as  he  held 
Kate  Strong's  cold  hand  for  a  moment  in  his 
as  the  carriage  rumbled  onward  toward  the 
beckoning  lights  of  the  great  city.  The  girl 
withdrew  her  hand.  He  did  not  know  how 
great  an  effort  it  had  cost  her  to  repress  a 
sob. 

Presently  Kate  looked  up  at  him,  her  eyes 
bright  with  the  emotion  she  controlled. 

"In  Rexopolis,"  she  said,  "there  is  great 
disorder.  The  newspapers  this  morning 
printed  long  accounts  of  what  they  called  a 
crisis  at  your  capital." 

Prince  Carlo  was  silent  for  a  moment.  His 
worst  forebodings  seemed  about  to  be  real- 
ized. 


134  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  And  what  of  my  father?"  he  asked,  at 
length,  his  voice  trembling  perceptibly. 

"  He  is  very  ill,"  she  answered.  Suddenly 
he  felt  her  hand  in  his  again. 

"  And  the  people  grow  restless?  Tell  me, 
is  it  so?" 

"  Yes,"  she  answered. 

"  And  the  wonder  grows  that  I,  the  crown 
prince,  do  not  show  myself?" 

"Yes." 

They  sat  speechless  for  a  time,  hand 
clasped  in  hand.  The  sympathy  of  this 
woman  was  very  sweet  to  the  self-exiled 
prince  at  this  dark  crisis  in  his  life. 

"  It  is  so  hard,"  he  murmured.  "  Tell  me," 
he  whispered,  hoarsely,  bending  close  to  her 
and  looking  down  into  her  pale,  drawn  face 
— tell  me,  Miss  Strong,  what  must  I  do?  I 
tremble  at  the  thoughts  that  fill  my  mind. 
Tell  me — for  you  must  know  what  I  would 
say — what  must  I  do?" 

She  was  silent  for  an  instant,  and  he  knew 
that  she  trembled  with  emotion.  Then  her 
eyes  sought  his  in  the  dim  half-light,  and 
she  said,  firmly : 

"  There  is  no  choice,  Prince  Carlo.  You 
would  never  be  happy  should  you  not  go 
back." 

"  But  why?"  he  argued.  "  To  what  do  I  go 
back?  Surely  not  to  happiness?" 

"  No,"  she  answered,  sadly.  "  You  go  back 
to — honor." 

"  To  honor,"  he  admitted,  and  then  mut- 
tered, "  and  to  death." 

Her  hand  pressed  his  with  feverish  force. 
"  Death  is  better  than "  She  paused  sud- 
denly. 

"  Than  what?"  he  exclaimed. 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       135 

"Death, "she  said,  firmly,  "is  better  than 
disgrace." 

Prince  Carlo  sank  back  in  his  seat,  his  face 
white  against  the  cushions. 

"You  speak  the  truth," he  murmured,  rest- 
lessly. "  I  really  have  no  choice.  To  stay 
here  is  dishonor,  to  return  is  death.  God 
help  me!"  His  words  sounded  more  like  a 
groan  than  like  a  prayer. 

They  had  reached  the  stone  pavements  of 
the  city.  The  carriage  jolted  annoy ingly 
over  the  ill-laid  streets. 

Prince  Carlo  leaned  down  until  his  face 
was  close  to  Kate's. 

"  You  are  a  grand,  a  noble  woman,"  he 
whispered.  "  Remember,  dear,  for  all  time 
my  heart  is  yours,  and  yours  alone.  What- 
ever Fate  may  have  in  store  for  me,  it  cannot 
deprive  me  of  this  one  sweet  thought.  I  love 
you,  my  darling,  I  love  you !" 

Her  hand  was  like  ice  in  his,  and  she  spoke 
not,  but  he  knew  that  she  wept  softly. 

A  moment  later,  the  carriage  drew  up  in 
front  of  Gerald  Strong's  house. 

"  Let  me  see  you  once  more  alone  before  I 
go,"  whispered  Prince  Carlo.  "  I  have  one 
thing  more  to  say  to  you." 

She  pressed  his  hand  in  acquiescence.  An 
instant  later,  the  driver  opened  the  carriage 
door,  and  Cupid  with  a  mocking  laugh  flitted 
from  the  box,  rejoicing  at  the  mischief  he 
had  wrought. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

NORMAN  BENEDICT  had  reached  the  office 
of  the  Trumpet  in  time  to  add  a  startling  fea- 
ture to  the  ten  o'clock  "  extra"  of  that  enter- 
prising journal.  A  long  cable  despatch  from 
Rexopolis,  announcing  the  death  of  King 
Sergius  III.,  the  vain  clamorings  of  the  peo- 
ple for  the  appearance  of  his  successor,  the 
still  popular  Prince  Carlo,  and  the  certainty 
of  an  immediate  choice  by  the  populace  of  a 
provisional  President,  was  of  itself  sufficient 
to  make  the  "  extra"  notable.  But  Benedict 
had  been  enabled,  by  a  combination  of  fore- 
sight and  good  luck,  to  give  the  readers  of 
the  Trumpet  a  startling  explanation  of  Prince 
•Carlo's  absence  from  Rexopolis  at  this  great 
-crisis.  On  the  night  upon  which  Prince 
•Carlo  had  lost  a  kingdom,  Norman  Benedict 
had  gained  a  promotion. 

Gerald  Strong  and  his  wife  had  sat  in  their 
library  late  that  evening,  wondering  why 
Ned  and  Kate  had  not  returned,  when  the 
butler  brought  in  to  them  the  late  edition  of 
a  newspaper  whose  startling  head -lines 
:seemed  to  tremble  with  excitement.  They 
liad  barely  finished  reading  the  astounding 
details  of  a  pregnant  international  crisis, 
when  the  arrival  of  the  carriage  that  bore  to 
their  door  a  dethroned  king,  a  fatherless 
youth,  upon  whose  shoulders  rested  a  great 
burden  demanding  an  heroic  sacrifice,  broke 
in  upon  ther  conversation. 

While    the  somewhat  disjointed  explana- 


THE    CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       137 

tions  of  the  truants  were  doing  their  utmost 
to  add  to  the  confusion  of  Mrs.  Strong's 
mind,  her  husband  had  taken  Prince  Carlo 
by  the  hand,  and,  telling  Ned  to  accompany 
them,  had  led  the  guest  he  had  known  as 
Count  Szalaki  into  the  library. 

"  I  have  read  the  whole  story,"  said  the 
banker,  when  they  found  themselves  alone. 
"  You  have  suffered  a  great  wrong,  Prince 
Carlo.  You  have  my  heartfelt  sympathy." 

He  took  the  young  man's  hand,  and  con- 
tinued, very  gently,  "  I  have  sad  news  for  you." 

Prince  Carlo  gazed  at  him  with  eyes  that 
were  full  of  agony. 

"  He  is  dead?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Gerald  Strong.  "  He  died 
this  afternoon." 

A  change  came  over  the  face  of  the  son  of 
kings.  The  dread  certainty  that  confronted 
him  seemed  to  affect  him  like  a  call  to  arms. 
He  stood  more  erect,  the  lines  around  his 
mouth  grew  firm,  and  his  voice  was  cold  and 
hard,  as  he  said: 

"  Mr.  Strong,  may  I  ask  you  to  tell  me  all 
that  you  have  heard?" 

"  You  will  find  the  facts,  as  far  as  they  are 
known,  in  this  dispatch  from  Rexopolis." 

Prince  Carlo  took  the  newspaper  and  ea- 
gerly perused  the  two  columns  outlining  the 
situation  at  his  capital.  While  he  was  read- 
ing, Ned  Strong  said  to  his  father : 

"  How  did  you  know,  father,  that  Count 
Szalaki  was  the  crown  prince?" 

"  The  Trumpet,  Ned,  has  a  long  account  of 
the  occurrences  that  have  made  our  manor- 
house  unpleasantly  notorious." 

"Ha!"  cried  Ned.  "  Our  friend  Mr.  Bene- 
dict has  been  very  energetic." 


138  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  Furthermore,"  continued  Mr.  Strong,  "  I 
have  several  dispatches  to-day  from  our 
representative  in  Vienna,  who  has  been 
clever  enough  to  suspect  that  Count  Szalaki 
might  be  the  Crown  Prince  Carlo." 

An  exclamation  of  mingled  astonishment 
and  anger  broke  from  Prince  Carlo  at  this 
moment. 

"  Fejeravy !"  he  cried.  "  Fejeravy  for  Pres- 
ident! It  is  impossible !  Traitor!  Fejeravy, 
whom  we  have  trusted  for  years  as  our  most 
loyal  subject !  It  is  incredible !" 

Prince  Carlo  sank  into  a  chair  wearily. 
The  treachery  of  the  man  who  had  been  his 
father's  closest  adviser  overwhelmed  him  for 
a  moment.  Suddenly  he  looked  up  at  his 
host,  his  jaw  firmly  set  and  a  gleam  in  his 
eyes  that  proved  that  a  new  incentive  had 
come  to  him  urging  his  return  to  his  dis- 
tracted fatherland. 

"  There  is  a  steamer  leaving  for  Southamp- 
ton in  the  morning?"  he  asked,  eagerly. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Gerald  Strong.  Then  he 
seated  himself  beside  the  prince,  and  said," 
gently : 

"  You  will  forgive  me,  Prince  Carlo,  if  I 
take  the  liberty  of  a  much  older  man,  not 
well  versed  in  the  etiquette  of  courts,  to  ask 
you  if  your  return  at  such  a  crisis  as  the 
present  is  not  foolhardy?" 

"  Mayhap,"  cried  the  prince,  a  note  of  reck- 
lessness in  his  voice.  "  But  think  not  that  I 
am  friendless  because  a  few  of  my  people 
have  been  tools  in  a  traitor's  hands.  A  hun- 
dred years  ago  the  madmen  of  France  in- 
formed the  world  that  kings  and  their  God 
were  dead.  Short-sighted,  deluded  dreamers ! 
They  slew  in  the  name  of  Freedom,  and 


THE   CROWN    PRINCE    OF    REXANIA.       139 

brought  forth — Napoleon.  I  shall  go  back, 
not  to  bring  peace,  but  a  sword.  Fools  that 
they  are,  to  think  that  my  people,  loving 
me,  will  listen  forever  to  the  voice  of  Fej- 
eravy. — Fejeravy,  the  Judas  of  my  house! 
It  is  not  for  naught  that  we  who  hold  the 
thrones  of  Europe  are  bound  together  by  the 
ties  of  blood.  What  madness  blinds  my  peo- 
ple? If  I  were  dead,  mayhap  their  crazy 
scheme  would  have  some  hope  of  victory. 
But  behind  me,  as  my  allies,  stand  all  the 
kings  and  emperors  of  the  world.  At  my 
back  are  armies  before  which  Rexania's 
rabble  rout  would  fly  like  chaff.  Mad  as  was 
the  scheme  that  sought  to  make  me  abdicate 
my  throne  to  please  the  wishes  of  a  few  ad- 
venturous rebels  in  this  New  World  that  I 
shall  never  see  again,  it  was  not  more  futile 
than  the  effort  of  my  people  to  set  up  for 
themselves  a  government  against  which 
every  court  in  Europe  will  be  arrayed." 

Prince  Carlo  arose  and  paced  the  room 
restlessly.  Gerald  Strong  and  his  son  re- 
mained silent.  They  seemed  to  be  gazing 
from  a  mountain-top  upon  some  wild  and 
bloody  scene  in  ancient  history.  To  these 
calm,  unimpressionable  Americans  the  future 
that  called  to  this  pale-faced  youth  seemed 
to  be  made  of  the  warp  and  woof  that  form 
the  texture  of  the  visions  of  the  night.  Of 
what  did  he  speak?  Of  an  alien  army  under 
his  command,  placing  him  upon  a  throne 
stained  with  the  blood  of  his  own  countrymen ! 
He  represented  the  very  incarnation  of  Reac- 
tion calling  with  confidence  upon  its  ancient 
allies,  Blood  and  Iron.  And  yet  he  was  a  gen- 
tle youth.  His  smile  was  charming  as  he 
took  the  hand  of  his  silent  host  and  said : 


140  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  Forgive  me  for  boring  you  with  my  sel- 
fish thoughts.  You  have  been  very  kind. 
How  much  I  thank  you,  I  cannot  say.  And 
now,  time  presses.  I  have  much  to  do,  in 
small  ways,  before  the  steamer  sails.  May  I 
trouble  you  to  ask  Miss  Kate  if  I  may  say 
farewell?" 

Ned  Strong  left  the  room  and  returned  a 
moment  later. 

"My  sister  will  see  you  in  the  drawing- 
room,"  he  said  as  he  re-entered  the  library. 
"And  then,  if  you  wish,  I  will  place  myself 
at  your  service,  Prince  Carlo,  until  your  de- 
parture." 

A  moment  later  father  and  son  were  left 
alone.  They  remained  silent  for  several 
minutes,  attempting  to  readjust  their  wan- 
dering thoughts  to  the  quiet  exigencies  of 
their  own  environment. 

"  I  have  another  piece  of  news  for  you,  fa- 
ther," said  Ned,  after  a  time. 

"  Yes?" 

"  I  am  sure,"  he  explained,  with  an  effort 
at  playfulness,  "  that  Mr.  Benedict  has  not 
announced  it  in  his  'extra.'  Mrs.  Brevoort 
has  promised  to  be  my  wife." 

Prince  Carlo  of  Rexania  stood  for  an  in- 
stant, white  and  trembling,  upon  the  steps 
that  led  from  Gerald  Strong's  doorway. 
Upon  his  lips  he  still  felt  the  kiss  of  a  loving 
and  sorrow-stricken  girl.  The  bell  in  a  dis- 
tant church-steeple  was  striking  midnight. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  gently,  placing  a  hanp 
upon  Ned  Strong's  arm, — "  come,  comrade, 
I  need  a  friend  to-night;  for  the  world  seems 
very  sad." 

THE   END. 


A  PRINCESS  OF  THE 
RHINE. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"THREE  aces!  Your  majesty  is  in  luck! 
Shall  we  make  it  a  jack-pot?" 

King  Rudolph  XII.,  of  Hesse-Heilfels,  sol- 
emnly acquiesced  in  this  suggestion  by  a  nod 
of  his  gray  head.  His  small,  greenish-gray 
eyes  gleamed  with  excitement,  and  the  flush 
on  his  heavily  moulded  face  bore  witness  to 
the  wicked  joy  he  was  deriving  from  a  new 
game  of  chance.  Rudolph  was  a  true 
Schwartzburger  in  his  fondness  for  gam- 
bling. There  is  a  legend  of  the  Rhine  which 
tells  how  one  of  Rudolph's  lineal  ancestors, 
who  occupied  the  throne  of  Hesse-Heilfels 
three  centuries  ago,  lost  his  kingdom  on  a 
throw  of  the  dice  and  his  honor  by  a  thrust 
of  the  sword.  The  courtier  who  had  won  a 
kingdom  from  his  liege  lord  did  not  live  to 
tell  the  tale  of  his  good  luck.  The  house  of 
Schwartzburger  has  never  neglected  heroic 
measures  when  it  has  been  confronted  by  a 
great  crisis.  To  gamble  with  a  king  of 
Hesse-Heilfels  has  always  required  not  only 
skill  but  courage. 

That  Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett,  a  rolling 
stone  from  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut, 


14*  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

United  States  of  America,  had  dared  to  teach 
King  Rudolph  of  Hesse-Heilfels  the  myste- 
ries of  the  American  game  of  poker,  spoke 
well  for  the  Yankee  adventurer's  boldness. 
One  of  the  first  stories  that  Bennett  had  been 
told  upon  entering  Rudolph's  kingdom  had 
turned  upon  the  fate  of  a  commercial  travel- 
ler from  the  United  States  who  had  man- 
aged to  penetrate  to  the  sacred  presence  of 
the  testy  monarch.  The  drummer  had  offered 
to  equip  the  army  of  Hesse-Heilfels  with  bi- 
cycles at  so  low  a  figure  that  the  suspicions 
of  King  Rudolph  had  been  aroused.  Becom- 
ing convinced  by  a  series  of  searching  ques- 
tions that  the  commercial  traveller  could 
not  fulfil  the  promises  he  had  made,  the 
proud  but  irascible  Schwartzburger  confis- 
cated the  Yankee's  watch  and  loose  change. 
He  then  gave  orders  that  the  stranger  be 
driven  beyond  the  borders  of  the  kingdom. 
Rudolph  XII.  prided  himself  upon  always  be- 
ing just,  though  he  might  be  at  times  severe. 
King  Rudolph  of  Hesse-Heilfels  and  Jona- 
than Edwards  Bennett  of  Connecticut  played 
poker  amid  luxurious  and  romantic  surround- 
ings. The  favorite  castle  of  the  Schwartz- 
burgers  caps  a  hill  overlooking  the  distant 
Rhine,  but  somewhat  out  of  the  beaten  line 
of  travel.  The  Schwartzburgers  have  always 
cherished  a  dislike  for  tourists,  and  under 
Rudolph  XII.  the  little  kingdom  of  Hesse- 
Heilfels  has  been  jealously  guarded  from  the 
prying  eyes  of  fussy  travellers,  who,  as  His 
Majesty  had  often  remarked,  were  apt  to 
lead  the  good  people  of  the  country  into 
temptation.  Four  hundred  years  ago  a 
Schwartzburger  who  had  been  crowned  king 
of  Hesse-Heilfels  had  said :  "  The  divine  right 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  143 

to  fleece  resides  in  the  person  of  the  king, 
and  when  exercised  by  a  subject  becomes 
treason."  One  of  the  most  learned  professors 
at  the  University  of  Heidelberg  some  years 
ago  wrote  a  treatise  to  prove  that  this  re- 
mark was,  on  the  face  of  it,  an  Irish  bull,  and 
could  not,  therefore,  have  been  uttered  by  a 
King  of  Hesse-Heilfels.  A  great  controversy 
over  this  question  arose  in  the  German  uni- 
versities, and  the  matter  is  still  under  dis- 
cussion. It  has  served  at  least  one  valu- 
able purpose,  in  furnishing  another  outlet 
for  pent-up  erudition.  German  scholarship 
needs  constant  relief  of  this  kind,  and  what 
is  known  as  the  Schwartzburger  Irish-Bull 
problem  has  been  of  great  service  to  the  con- 
gested erudition  of  the  university  towns. 

The  castle  of  the  Schwartzburgers  in  which 
we  find  the  reigning  king  pursuing  his  stud- 
ies in  poker  under  the  tutorship  of  a  wander- 
ing genius  from  Connecticut  was  built  late 
in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  "  was  restored," 
as  the  guide-books  say,  early  in  the  present 
century  by  King  -Rudolph's  father.  "The 
restoration  is  incomplete,"  Bennett  had  said 
to  the  king,  a  few  days  after  he  had  been  ad- 
mitted to  the  royal  circle.  "Your  castle  is 
picturesque  but  unhealthy,  romantic  but 
rheumatic,  with  too  many  relics  and  too  few 
conveniences.  What  you  need  at  once,  your 
majesty,  is  sanitary  plumbing,  a  few  passen- 
ger and  freight  elevators,  and  an  electric 
lighting  plant." 

King  Rudolph  had  gazed  suspiciously  at 
the  smooth-faced,  smooth  -  tongued  youth, 
whose  nervously  energetic  manner  was  ag- 
gravated by  his  efforts  to  make  his  meaning 
clear  in  the  German  tongue.  Bennett  was  a 


144  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

well-equipped  linguist,  but  the  German  dia« 
lect  spoken  in  Hesse-Heilfels  was  new  to 
him.  He  was  by  temperament  loquacious 
and  restless,  and  it  annoyed  him  to  find 
that  his  vocabulary  was  frequently  defective 
when  he  was  endeavoring  to  convince  the 
king  that  a  certain  line  of  action  was  impera- 
tively and  immediately  necessary.  King 
Rudolph  had  rejected,  for  the  time  being, 
the  suggestions  thrown  out  by  Bennett  re- 
garding repairs  to  the  castle,  and  had  devoted 
such  hours  as  he  could  snatch  from  affairs  of 
state  to  learning  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  game 
of  draw  poker.  The  result  was  that  Rudolph 
XII.  and  Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett  spent 
twelve  hours  of  every  twenty-four  in  the 
king's  private  apartments — with  royalty  and 
democracy  separated  by  only  a  table,  a  pack 
of  cards,  and  a  set  of  ivory  chips.  Already 
the  kingdom  had  begun  to  feel  the  effects  of 
Rudolph's  example,  for  the  palace  sets  the 
fashions  in  Hesse-Heilfels,  and  when  the 
king  plays  poker  in  his  castle  the  peasant  in 
the  valley  is  anxious  to  learn  the  difference 
between  a  royal  flush  and  a  full  house.  When 
Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett  taught  Rudolph 
XII.,  the  reigning  Schwartzburger,  to  play 
jack-pots  he  started  a  poker  avalanche  that 
poured  down  from  the  castle  into  the  valleys 
and  eventually  caused  the  most  serious  up- 
heaval in  the  modern  history  of  the  kingdom 
of  Hesse-Heilfels. 

"If  your  luck  continues,  your  majesty," 
remarked  Bennett,  as  he  shuffled  the  cards 
and  gazed  thoughtfully  through  the  open 
window  toward  the  distant  mountain-tops, 
"  I  shall  be  compelled  to  mortgage  my  farm 
in  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut." 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  145 

There  was  silence  in  the  stately  old  cham- 
ber for  a  moment,  broken  only  by  the  ticking 
of  an  antique  clock  that  had  punctuated  the 
lives  of  many  generations  of  Schwartzburg- 
ers.  King  Rudolph  thrust  a  trembling  hand 
through  his  scanty  gray  locks  and  smiled 
slyly. 

"  What's  the  farm  worth?"  he  asked,  ea- 
gerly seizing  his  five  cards  and  looking  at 
them  anxiously. 

The  expression  upon  Bennett's  clear-cut, 
pale,  and  rather  handsome  face  did  not 
change.  He  gazed  stolidly  at  his  hand,  and 
calmly  discarded  three  of  his  five  cards.  A 
close  observer  would  have  noted,  however, 
that  the  dark  eyes  of  the  youth  glanced  now 
and  then  at  the  king's  heavy  countenance  and 
seemed  to  read  the  very  soul  of  his  royal  op- 
ponent. 

"  The  farm  is  worth  a  contract  to  renovate 
your  castle,"  answered  the  Yankee  coldly. 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  cried  the  king,  as 
he  again  added  a  small  pile  of  Bennett's 
chips  to  his  own  store. 

"  1  mean  this,  your  majesty,"  answered  the 
American.  "I'll  make  a  bet  with  you — the 
cards  to  decide  the  wager — by  the  terms  of 
which  you  are  bound  to  win.  We'll  throw  a. 
cold  hand  for  the  stakes.  See?  If  your  cards 
beat  mine,  you  own  my  farm.  If  I  win,  you 
are  to  sign  a  contract  authorizing  me  to  take 
charge  of  the  internal  improvements  not  only 
of  your  castle  but  of  your  kingdom.  I  am  to- 
make  this  castle  a  modern  residence,  to  im- 
prove the  roads  in  your  kingdom,  and  to  put  a 
little  snap  and  ginger  into  your  people.  You 
are  falling  years  behind  other  civilized  lands. 
You  need  my  sp.rvirp.s.  vonr  majesty,  as  a 
10 


146  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Moses  who  shall  lead  you  out  of  the  desert  of 
the  past  into  the  flowery  plains  of  the  future. 
See?  It  was  a  lucky  day  for  you  when  I  en- 
tered your  kingdom." 

The  Schwartzburgers  have  never  been 
noted  for  quick-wittedness.  Their  minds 
have  always  moved  slowly,  unless  their  tem- 
per was  aroused.  The  only  way  to  make  a 
Schwartzburger  think  and  act  hastily  is  to 
stir  up  his  anger.  At  this  moment  Rudolph 
XII.  was  gazing  at  the  Yankee  in  a  dazed 
way.  He  seemed  to  be  striving  dully  to  find 
a  ray  of  light  by  which  to  throw  the  Ameri- 
can's startling  proposition  into  effective  re- 
lief. He  evidently  harbored  a  vague  suspi- 
cion that  he  was  in  imminent  danger  of  losing 
his  royal  and  time-honored  prerogative  of 
fleecing  the  wandering  sheep  that  came  within 
his  reach.  The  idea  of  subletting  a  portion 
of  his  royal  authority  to  a  comparative  stran- 
ger was  not  attractive.  Furthermore,  King 
Rudolph  realized  that  by  delegating  to  Ben- 
nett the  authority  he  craved,  he  would  arouse 
the  antagonism  of  the  most  influential  and 
powerful  subjects  of  his  realm. 

Nevertheless,  the  king  of  Hesse-Heilfels 
was  fascinated  by  the  chance  of  winning  an 
estate  in  America.  To  his  mind  "  a  farm  in 
Connecticut"  represented  a  domain  from 
which  vast  wealth  might  be  derived.  Ru- 
mors of  the  fabulous  riches  possessed  by 
American  tourists  who  had  at  times  visited 
his  castle  had  made  a  strong  impression  upon 
King  Rudolph.  Furthermore,  the  microbe 
of  poker  was  at  work  in  the  royal  blood. 
The  fever  caused  by  jack-pot  germs  was  hav- 
ing its  delirious  influence  upon  the  king's 
mind. 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  147 

"  By  a  cold  hand,"  remarked  the  king  slow- 
ly, "  you  mean  that  we  stake  everything  on 
one  deal?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Bennett,  "we  throw  the 
cards  face  upward  and  make  our  discards 
openly.  It  is  very  simple.  Shall  I  proceed?" 

At  that  instant  the  doors  behind  Bennett's 
chair  were  thrown  open  and  a  girl  of  eigh- 
teen hastily  entered  the  apartment.  The 
American  turned  toward  her,  flushed  percep- 
tibly, and  arose  from  his  seat. 

The  Princess  Hilda,  the  king's  niece,  paid 
not  the  slightest  attention  to  Bennett,  but 
approached  the  king  with  a  look  of  determi- 
nation upon  her  handsome  face.  Her  cheeks 
were  slightly  reddened  from  excitement,  and 
her  dark  blue  eyes  seemed  almost  black  as 
they  rested  upon  her  royal  uncle.  There  was 
silence  for  an  instant.  The  opening  of  the 
doors  had  tempted  a  breeze  from  the  moun- 
tains to  enter  the  palace  through  the  windows 
and  shake  the  antique  hangings  as  it  passed. 
It  caressed  Hilda's  golden  hair  gently  as  she 
stood  before  the  king  and  said : 

"  Pardon  me,  your  majesty,  but  I  have 
news — state  news — that  brooks  no  delay. 
No  other  messenger  seemed  quite  fitted  for 
the  task,  so  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that " 

King  Rudolph  raised  his  hand  with  an 
angry  gesture. 

"  You  must  wait,  princess.  Is  it  not  enough 
that  I  should  be  vexed  with  cares  of  state  by 
my  ministers  and  secretaries  without  being 
interrupted  in  my  too  few  hours  of  relaxation 
by  you?  Furthermore,  there  is  an  affair  of 
state — a  most  important  affair  of  state — here 
at  issue  at  this  moment.  Come,  mein  Herr 
Bennett,  throw  the  cards!  Wait,  Hilda,  do 


148  KINGS  IN    ADVERSITY. 

not  be  offended !  Watch  my  luck,  princess ! 
You  shall  stand  here  to  bring  me  good  for- 
tune. Whichever  way  it  goes,  you  say,  mein 
Herr,  I  win?  So  be  it!  I  take  your  word! 
Let's  draw.  Forgive  me,  princess;  I  know 
your  news  will  keep." 


CHAPTER  II. 

"PARDON  me,  your  majesty,"  said  Ben- 
nett, holding  a  pack  of  cards  unshuffled 
in  his  hand.  "  I  hesitate  ta  cross  your  will, 
but  if  the  princess  really  has  important 
news ?" 

The  speaker  looked  up  at  the  Princess 
Hilda  deferentially,  but  his  intercession  in 
her  behalf  met  with  no  reward.  Far  from 
seeming  pleased  at  his  support,  she  turned 
her  back  upon  him,  her  face  white  and  set, 
and  gazed  reproachfully  at  her  king  and 
uncle. 

"  Throw  out  the  cards,"  commanded  King 
Rudolph  sternly.  "Am  I  to  be  told  by  a 
chit  of  a  girl  how  to  rule  my  kingdom?  Re- 
main where  you  are,  Princess  Hilda,  and  see 
me  win  a  province  in  the  land  across  the 
sea." 

The  little  group  at  that  moment  presented 
a  picturesque  tableau.  In  that  old  castle 
within  which  the  centuries  had  seen  enacted 
many  tragedies,  comedies,  farce-comedies, 
and  burlesques,  lost  to  the  world  forever  for 
lack  of  imminent  playwrights,  an  episode  in 
a  stirring  drama  was  about  to  take  place 
against  an  appropriate  mise-en-scene. 

The  king's  face,  flushed  with  the  excite- 
ment of  the  crisis,  wore  an  expression  of 
mingled  cupidity  and  impatience.  His  fat, 
reddish  hand  rapped  the  table  nervously. 
Opposite  to  him  sat  Bennett,  a  prey  to  con- 


150  KINGS  IN    ADVERSITY. 

flicting  emotions,  but  outwardly  calm.  He 
had  hitherto  been  too  much  occupied  in  gain- 
ing an  influence  over  King  Rudolph  to  notice 
the  beauty  of  Princess  Hilda,  but  as  she  stood 
there,  cold,  disdainful,  silent,  while  the  breeze 
gently  caressed  her  golden-brown  hair,  the 
American  adventurer  felt  tempted  to  throw 
the  mischievous  cards  into  the  king's  face 
and  beg  forgiveness  from  the  princess  on  his 
bended  knees. 

"  Count  von  Hohenlinden,"  began  the  prin- 
cess stubbornly. 

The  king  put  up  his  hand  deprecatingly. 

"The  Count  von !"    Princess  Hilda  got 

no  further. 

"  I  draw  to  my  pair  of  knaves,"  cried  King 
Rudolph,  thrusting  three  useless  cards  aside 
excitedly. 

"You  do,  indeed,"  said  Hilda,  under  her 
breath,  and  glancing  pointedly  at  Bennett. 
She  had  not  lowered  her  voice  sufficiently  to 
prevent  the  American  from  catching  the  drift 
of  her  remark.  He  tossed  three  cards  toward 
the  king. 

"  Four  of  a  kind !"  cried  the  delighted 
Schwartzburger,  pointing  at  the  cards  tri- 
umphantly. "  My  jacks  will  take  your  farm, 
Herr  Bennett." 

"But  I  draw  to  queens,"  remarked  the 
American  quietly  and  casting  a  quick  glance 
at  Princess  Hilda.  "  Ha,  was  I  not  right? 
Are  not  the  queens  on  my  side?  Look  at 
that,  your  majesty !  Four  queens !  I  win  my 
contract.  Das  ist  wahr!" 

King  Rudolph  gazed  blankly  at  the  cards 
before  him.  By  a  marvellous  stroke  of  luck 
the  American  had  beaten  the  king's  four 
jacks.  Novice  though  he  was  at  poker,  the 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.     *         151 

Schwartzburger  realized  that  he  had  lost  the 
stakes  at  a  moment  when  the  chances  were 
a  thousand  to  one  in  his  favor. 

"  Gott  im  Himmel !"  he  cried  angrily,  hurl- 
ing the  pack  of  cards  through  the  window, 
while  his  greenish-gray  eyes  glared  fiercely 
at  his  opponent,  "  what  mad  devil  is  in  the 
cards?" 

"  I  had  wonderful  luck,"  said  Bennett 
gently,  rising  from  his  seat  and  glancing 
imploringly  at  the  princess. 

"  The  Count  von  Hohenlinden,  Your  Maj- 
jesty,"  cried  Hilda,  paying  no  attention  to 
Bennett. 

King  Rudolph  arose  from  his  chair.  He 
was  a  short,  thickset  man,  clumsy  in  move- 
ment, and  much  too  heavy  for  his  height. 

"  Will  you  be  quiet,  niece?"  he  exclaimed, 
his  breath  coming  and  going  with  asthmatic 
friction.  "  Let  me  understand  this  gentle- 
man. Herr  Bennett,  you  have  won  the  cold 
hand " 

"  And  the  marble  heart, "muttered  Bennett 
mournfully. 

"  As  I  understand  it,"  went  on  the  king, 
,,you  purpose  to  put  this  castle  and  the  roads, 
parks,  bridges,  and  forests  of  my  kingdom 
into  a  condition  more  worthy  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  than  is  their  present  status. 
Am  I  right?" 

"  That  is  the  proposition,  your  majesty." 

"  But  there  are  many  difficulties  in  the 
way,  Herr  Bennett.  I  will  meet  with  resist- 
ance at  every  point.  I  have  ministers — a 
prime  minister,  heads  of  departments,  red 
tape,  precedent,  national  prejudice,  and  a 
large  family  of  impecunious  relatives,  already 
in  alliance  against  you  and  your  projects. 


152  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Ach  Himmel !  I  thought  my  four  jacks  would 
solve  my  difficulties — and  now  I  am  worse  off 
than  ever." 

The  Princess  Hilda  had  retired  to  a  win- 
dow and  was  gazing  pensively  out  upon  hills 
and  valleys  over  which  the  Schwartzburgers 
had  lorded  it  for  many  generations.  Here 
and  there  between  the  hills  she  could  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  stately  Rhine,  as  it  flowed 
serenely  past  the  castellated  summits  where 
Romans,  Teutons,  and  tourists  had  fussed 
and  fretted  through  the  centuries.  Suddenly 
the  king  turned  toward  her. 

"Count  von  Hohenlinden,"  he  cried.  "You 
spoke  of  him,  my  princess.  He  is  my  finan- 
cier. I  need  his  advice.  Have  you  news  of 
him,  Hilda?"  The  princess  turned  and  ap- 
proached the  king. 

"  The  countess  came  to  me  this  morning  in 
tears,"  she  said  quietly.  "  Count  von  Hohen- 
linden has  gone." 

"  Gone?"  cried  King  Rudolph  in  amaze- 
ment. "  Gone  where?" 

"No  one  knows.  I  fear,  your  majesty — I 
fear  from  what  the  countess  said— that— that 
— he  is  a  defaulter." 

"Mein  Gott!  Mein  Gott!"  exclaimed  the 
king,  sinking  into  a  chair.  "  It  cannot  be ! 
And  yet— and  yet— he  had  full  control  of  my 
treasury.  He  told  me  yesterday— but  what 
matters  it  what  he  said  then?  Call  von 
Schwalbach  to  me.  I  tell  you,  Herr  Ben- 
nett, if  my  prime  minister  has  allowed  the 
count  to  loot  my  treasury  I  will  have  his 
life.  Quick!  call  a  page  and  send  him  for 
von  Schwalbach." 

"Alas,  your  majesty,"  said  the  princess 
soothingly,  "  von  Schwalbach  has  also  disap- 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  153 

peared.  It  is  said  that  he  and  the  count  left 
the  kingdom  last  night,  riding  their  wheels 
through  a  secret  pass  in  the  hills." 

The  countenance  of  royalty  had  turned 
white  with  dismay.  The  king  seemed  to  be 
stricken  helpless  at  one  blow. 

"  My  best  friends  gone,"  he  muttered. 
"  Gone — thieves  that  run  off  in  the  night ! 
And  I — I  have  trusted  them  with  my  purse, 
my  honor,  my  very  life.  Tell  me,  Hilda," 
he  went  on,  almost  hysterically,  "  what  caused 
this  downfall  of  men  whose  word  was  always 
as  good  as  gold,  men  who  have  been  found 
faithful  to  their  trust  for  years?" 

The  broken  king  looked  up  pathetically  at 
his  golden-haired  niece.  She  smiled  sadly 
down  at  him,  and  then  turned  frowningly 
toward  Bennett,  who  stood,  with  one  hand 
resting  upon  the  card-table,  watching  the 
melancholy  scene  before  him. 

"  One  thing  alone  caused  the  ruin  of  the 
men  you  trusted,"  she  said,  and  paused. 

"  And  that  was?"  cried  the  king  eagerly. 

"  Poker!"  answered  the  princess  simply. 

Bennett  stepped  back  as  though  struck  by 
a  blow  in  the  face,  while  the  king  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  puffed  helplessly  for  a  moment. 

"  Donner  und  Blitzen !"  blurted  King  Ru- 
dolph, shaking  his  fist  at  the  American,  whose 
white  lips  and  flushed  cheeks  gave  evidence 
of  his  inward  agitation.  "  You  are  respon- 
sible for  this,  Herr  Bennett !  You  sneak  into 
my  kingdom  and  tell  me  you  have  news  from 
a  better  world  than  mine.  You  tell  me  that 
I  and  my  people  are  'behind  the  times.'  I 
give  you  room  in  my  palace  and  you  com- 
plain that  we  have  no  gas,  no  electricity,  no 
telephones,  no  cable  cars  to  climb  the  hills, 


154  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

no  new  castles.  All  is  old,  you  whisper, 
time-worn,  covered  with  lichen,  useless, 
dead.  And  I,  the  only  fool  of  all  the 
Schwartzburgers,  listen  to  you  and  grow 
cold  to  my  old  counsellors.  You  talk  of 
progress — and  give  me  poker.  You  speak  of 
grandeur — and  make  me  a  gambler.  You 
point  to  a  rainbow — and  pick  my  pockets. 
It  is  enough.  I  have  learned  my  lesson. 
Go,  Herr  Bennett — and  may  the  curse  of  the 
King  of  Hesse-Heilfels  be  with  you  to  the 
end." 

King  Rudolph  sank  back  into  his  chair, 
panting  for  breath. 

At  this  instant  a  man  burst  into  the  room 
unannounced,  dragging  with  him  a  page  who 
had  sought  to  check  his  impetuosity. 

The  intruder  was  a  comical  figure  at  his 
most  dignified  moments,  but  at  this  instant 
he  looked  as  if  he  had  escaped  from  a  light 
opera  company,  just  when  the  audience  was 
roaring  at  his  best  joke.  He  was  not  over 
four  feet  three  in  height.  His  hair  was  tousled 
and  of  a  light  yellow  hue.  His  features  were 
large,  especially  his  nose.  Under  the  influ- 
ence of  great  excitement  his  eyes  bulged 
from  his  head  as  if  in  search  of  mislaid  spec- 
tacles. He  was  attired  in  a  green  velvet 
jacket  and  small  clothes,  with  a  frilled  shirt 
and  a  small  sword  at  his  side.  In  his  hand 
he  carried  a  green  cap,  from  which  a  long 
black  feather  trailed  along  the  floor. 

"  Your  majesty,  pardon  me,"  he  cried,  fall- 
ing upon  one  knee  before  the  king.  "  I  pro- 
test to  the  throne.  I  know  that  I  am  right ! 
Nicht  wahr?" 

In  spite  of  the  solemnity  of  the  crisis,  King 
Rudolph  laughed  aloud,  the  Princess  Hilda 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  155 

smiled,  and  an  expression  of  hope  rested  upon 
Jonathan  Bennett's  disturbed  countenance. 
The  sudden  change  in  the  king's  mood  was 
encouraging. 

"  Rise,  Cousin  Fritz/'  said  the  king  jo- 
cosely. "  You  never  appeal  to  the  king  in 
vain.  What  is  your  grievance.  Perhaps 
your  troubles  may  prove  for  the  moment 
a  counter-irritant  to  mine." 

"  Because  I'm  called  the  king's  jester, 
Your  Majesty,  they  think  I'm  a  fool,"  said 
the  little  man,  readjusting  the  feather  in  his 
cap.  "  But  I'm  not  the  fool  that  I  look,  am 
I,  Schwartzburg?"  Here  the  dwarf  winked 
gayly  at  the  king.  Then  his  anger  seemed 
to  return.  "  Gott  im  Hinimel !"  he  cried, 
"  they  gave  me  the  lie,  me,  Cousin  Fritz, 
who  could  tell  the  truth  in  Latin  and  Greek 
at  the  age  of  six.  It's  an  outrage,  your 
majesty." 

"  But  what  was  the  cause  of  all  this?"  asked 
the  king,  beginning  to  look  bored  and  casting 
uneasy  glances  at  Bennett,  upon  whom  the 
royal  curse  had  not  had  the  intended  effect. 

"  The  cause,  your  majesty?"  repeated  the 
dwarf.  "  Cause  enough.  They  said  I  lied 
when  I  told  them  that  four  of  a  kind  beat 
a  full  house.  Think  of  that,  Herr  Bennett. 
They  took  my  money — and  I  held  four  aces." 


CHAPTER    III. 

"  BENNETT  '82  cannot  be  explained  by  any 
known  law,"  a  Yale  professor  had  once  re- 
marked. "  He  may  astonish  the  world  by 
his  genius,  or  end  a  short  career  as  a  tramp. 
The  splendor  of  his  inherent  possibilities 
emphasizes  the  dangers  that  surround  such 
a  temperament  as  his." 

Ten  years  had  passed  since  Bennett  had 
been  graduated,  not  without  honors,  from 
Yale,  but  he  had  not  as  yet  fulfilled  the  pro- 
fessor's prophecy.  He  had  not  made  the 
world  ring  with  his  name;  neither  had  he 
sunk  to  the.  level  of  a  knight  of  the  road. 
There  still  remained  a  chance,  however,  that 
the  foresight  of  the  professor  would  be  vin- 
dicated. Bennett  was  now  thirty-two  years 
of  age.  He  had  assiduously  cultivated  the 
gifts  that  had  led  the  Yale  professor  to  as- 
cribe to  him  the  peculiarities  and  possibili- 
ties that  appertain  to  genius.  Bennett  had 
become  an  accomplished  linguist,  a  poet,  a 
musician,  a  diplomatist,  and  a  schemer.  But 
he  had  neglected  the  means  and  methods 
that  lead  to  permanent  success,  and  his  love 
of  adventure  had  served  to  make  him  more 
of  a  tramp  than  a  celebrity.  The  returns 
from  his  genius  must  still  be  marked  "  scat- 
tering." 

The  erratic  nature  of  the  man  was  well 
illustrated  by  his  invasion  of  the  kingdom  of 
Hesse-Heilfels.  One  evening  in  Berlin  he 


A    PRINCESS   OF   THE    RHINE.  157 

had  listened  to  a  description  of  King  Ru- 
dolph's picturesque  domain.  The  eccentrici- 
ties of  that  petty  monarch  had  aroused  Ben- 
nett's curiosity,  and  he  had  determined  to 
make  a  study  at  close  quarters  of  a  royal  es- 
tablishment that  still  retained  many  of  the 
peculiarities  of  mediaeval  monarchies. 

Bennett  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  find 
luck  as  his  ally  upon  entering  the  confines  of 
Hesse-Heilfels.  At  the  very  first  inn  in  the 
kingdom  in  which  he  had  laid  aside  his  knap- 
sack, he  had  learned  that  King  Rudolph  was 
suffering  from  a  severe  indisposition  that  had 
baffled  the  skill  of  the  court  physicians.  It 
did  not  take  Bennett  long  to  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  reigning  Schwartzburger 
was  suffering  from  inflammatory  rheuma- 
tism, an  affection  that  Bennett  numbered 
among  his  family  heirlooms.  "  Litchfield 
County  may  be  short  on  romance,  but  it  is 
long  on  rheumatism,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I 
think  I  can  cure  King  Rudolph." 

There  is  no  necessity  for  dwelling  upon  the 
details  of  Bennett's  success  as  a  court  physi- 
cian. He  had  written  a  carefully  worded 
letter  offering  his  services  to  the  afflicted 
monarch  "  free  of  charge  unless  a  cure  is 
effected."  King  Rudolph,  weary  of  suffering 
and  disgusted  with  the  impotence  of  his  own 
doctors,  had  sent  for  the  young  American 
and,  much  to  the  astonishment  and  annoy- 
ance of  the  court,  had  given  him  full  charge 
of  his  royal  person.  The  cure  effected  by  the 
gifted  amateur  had  won  him  the  friendship 
of  the  king,  and  the  enmity  of  the  court 
circle.  In  spite  of  his  suavity,  Bennett  had 
been  unable  to  make  himself  popular  in  a 
household  in  which  the  good-will  of  the  king 


158  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

must  be  purchased  at  the  expense  of  general 
detestation.  The  feeling  against  Bennett 
was  intensified,  of  course,  because  of  his 
foreign  birth.  Never  before,  in  the  long 
and  polychromatic  history  of  the  House  of 
Schwartzburg,  had  a  stranger  from  a  land 
far  over  sea  become  at  a  bound  an  influen- 
tial factor  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  the 
kingdom  of  Hesse-Heilfels.  Upon  the  door 
of  his  bedchamber  one  morning,  Bennett  had 
found  inscribed  in  chaik,  the  words,  "  Geben 
sie  acht.  Halt!"  The  warning  had  opened 
his  eyes  to  the  fact  that  the  enemies  he  had 
made  were  bold  and  determined.  But  he  had 
smiled  mockingly,  rubbed  the  chalk  from  the 
panel,  and  made  his  way,  humming  a  merry 
catch,  to  the  king's  apartments. 

Nevertheless  Bennett  was  not  in  a  joyous 
mood  as  he  gazed  at  the  moon-kissed  river 
and  mountains  from  a  balcony  adjoining  his 
apartments  on  the  evening  of  the  day  upon 
which  our  tale  opens.  Although  the  king 
had  apologized  in  the  afternoon  for  his  bitter 
denunciation  of  the  American  in  the  morn- 
ing, Bennett  realized  that  his  hold  upon 
royal  favor  was  insecure,  and  that  as  Ru- 
dolph's rheumatism  improved,  and  his  fond- 
ness for  poker  decreased,  the  end  of  his  ad- 
venture would  impend. 

Twenty-four  hours  before  this  Bennett 
would  have  felt  no  special  annoyance  had 
a  decree  of  perpetual  banishment  from  the 
kingdom  of  Hesse-Heilfels  been  enforced 
against  him.  But  as  he  puffed  cigar  smoke 
into  the  balmy  air  and  gazed  dreamily  at  the 
silver  thread  that  gleamed  between  the  dis- 
tant hills,  the  face  of  the  Princess  Hilda — 
proud,  cold,  and  beautiful — seemed  to  taunt 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  159 

him,  defy  him,  fascinate  him.  His  pulse 
beat  wildly  as  the  temptation  to  break  this 
haughty  woman's  pride,  to  make  her  eyes 
grow  gentle  at  his  approach  and  her  lips 
melt  into  smiles  as  he  addressed  her,  swept 
over  him. 

The  hopelessness  of  his  longing  was  clear 
to  him.  The  princess  looked  upon  him  as  a 
quack,  an  adventurer,  a  man  to  be  shunned 
and  despised.  She  had  never  vouchsafed  to 
him  a  word,  a  glance,  the  slightest  recogni- 
tion of  his  existence.  To  win  her  regard 
seemed  to  be  impossible.  The  sceptre  of 
Hesse-Heilfels  was  as  much  within  his  reach 
as  the  good-will  of  the  Princess  Hilda.  Nev- 
ertheless, Jonathan  Bennett,  soothed  by  to- 
bacco, lulled  by  the  glories  of  a  summer 
night,  haunted  by  the  swarming  spirits  of 
the  storied  Rhine,  dreamed  his  dream  of  love 
and  conquest  and  allowed  his  wild  fancies  to 
lead  him  far  from  the  vulgar  plane  of  poker, 
sanitary  plumbing,  and  "sure  cures"  for 
rheumatism. 

"  Ach,  mein  Herr,  but  you  look  like  an  arch- 
angel planning  a  crime." 

Bennett  sprang  up  from  his  seat  in  dismay. 
He  had  carefully  locked  the  doors  of  his 
apartments,  and  this  sudden  invasion  of  his 
privacy  smacked  of  the  supernatural.  Cousin 
Fritz,  with  a  mocking  smile  playing  across 
his  gnarled  face,  displayed  a  mischievous  joy 
in  the  American's  consternation. 

"  Be  seated,  Herr  Bennett, "cried  the  dwarf, 
bowing  with  exaggerated  politeness.  "  I  owe 
you  an  apology — but  this  is  one  of  my  jokes. 
Is  it  not  a  good  one?  Ha — ha!"  He  danced 
up  and  down  the  balcony  with  weird  agility 
for  a  moment.  Then  he  seated  himself  upon 


l6o  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

the  stone  coping  and  tilted  his  feathered  cap 
sideways  upon  his  overgrown  head. 

"  You  will  forgive  me,"  said  Bennett  gently, 
offering  the  jester  a  cigar,  which  the  latter 
accepted  with  much  ceremony,  "  if  I  ask  you 
how  you  managed  to  surprise  me  so  success- 
fully?" 

Cousin  Fritz  winked  knowingly  and  blew 
a  cloud  of  smoke  into  the  air. 

"  I've  lived  in  this  castle  a  thousand  years," 
he  answered  solemnly.  "  It  has  taken  me  all 
that  time  to  .learn  its  secrets.  Hist,  Herr 
Bennett,  they  think  it's  my  business  to  amuse 
the  king.  Nonsense.  That's  my  pleasure. 
My  work  for  a  thousand  years  has  been  to  dis- 
cover all  the  mysteries  of  this  old  castle.  I 
know  them  all  know  now.  What  is  the  result? 
I'll  tell  you,  Herr  Bennett,  and  I'll  tell  you 
why  I  tell  you.  You  made  those  scoundrels 
return  my  money  this  afternoon.  Four  aces! 
The  robbers!  But  they  took  your  word  on 
poker,  Herr  Bennett  —  although  they  hate 
you.  Do  you  hear  me?  They  hate  you." 

The  dwarf  chuckled  with  inward  glee.  He 
seemed  to  rejoice  in  Bennett's  unpopularity. 

"  And  what,"  asked  Bennett,  not  wholly 
pleased  with  the  jester's  untimely  jocularity. 
"  what  has  been  the  result  of  your  thousand 
years  of  discovery  in  this  ancient  pile?  You 
started  out  to  tell  me." 

"  It  has  been,"  answered  the  dwarf,  seem- 
ing to  weigh  his  words  carefully,  "  it  has 
been  to  make  me  king.  These  puppets  come 
and  go  and  wear  the  crown  and  hold  the 
sceptre,  but  through  the  centuries  I  am 
monarch  of  Hesse-Heilfels.  I  could  tell  you 
tales  that  would  make  your  black  hair  turn 
white,  tales  of  my  power — of  my  power,  the 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  l6l 

jester,  Cousin  Fritz,  a  buffoon  for  a  thousand 
years !" 

There  was  something  so  uncanny  in  the 
little  wizard's  words  and  manner  that  Ben- 
nett could  hardly  repress  a  gesture  of  abhor- 
rej  oe.  A  madman  smoking  a  cigar  in  the 
moonlight  on  a  balcony  overlooking  the 
Rhine  was  a  creature  so  out  of  touch  with 
nineteenth-century  ideas  that  Bennett  was 
tempted  to  believe  that  he  had  fallen  asleep 
and  had  been  attacked  by  a  nightmare. 

Suddenly  Cousin  Fritz  hopped  down  from 
his  perch  and  sprang  toward  Bennett.  The 
movement  was  so  sudden  that  the  American 
had  no  time  to  rise. 

"  Look  there,"  whispered  the  dwarf,  point- 
ing with  trembling  hand  toward  a  group  of 
trees  at  the  edge  of  the  park,  several  hun- 
dred feet  in  front  of  them.  "  Do  you  see 
those  shadows  among  the  trees?" 

Bennett's  eyes  followed  the  little  man's 
gesture.  He  could  make  out  the  figures  of 
several  men  who  had  gathered  in  a  group 
beneath  the  trees.  The  moon  painted  their 
shadows  black  against  the  greensward. 

"  Do  you  know  what  they  seek?"  asked 
the  dwarf,  shaking  with  inward  laughter. 
"They  seek  your  life,  Herr  Bennett!  Isn't 
that  a  joke?  I  couldn't  make  a  better  one, 
could  I?" 

The  American  felt  an  almost  irresistible 
impulse  to  hurl  the  uncanny  creature  into 
the  abyss  beneath  them.  The  dwarf's  idea 
of  humor  did  not  appeal  to  Bennett.  As  a 
Yankee  he  possessed  a  keen  appreciation  of 
the  ludicrous,  but  the  prospect  of  assassina- 
tion did  not  strike  him  as  laughable.  Cousin 
Fritz — abnormally  sympathetic  as  he  was — 
ii 


1 62  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

realized  that  his  companion  was  not  in  a 
joyous  mood. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  Heir  Bennett";  he 
said,  "  what  I  tell  you  is  true.  I  heard  those 
men  planning  your  death.  They  hate  you 
because  my  cousin  Rudolph  has  grown  fond 
of  you.  But,  never  fear,  I  will  save  you 
from  their  machinations.  Did  I  not  tell  you 
that  I  had  been  King  of  Hesse-Heilfels  for 
a  thousand  years?  Well,  the  king  is  on  your 
side.  I  decree  that  you  shall  not  die.  Do 
you  doubt  my  power  to  save  you?  Look 
here !" 

The  dwarf  sprang  with  wonderful  agility 
upon  the  coping  and  stood  upright,  his 
crooked  figure  standing  out  against  the  sky 
like  a  silhouette  to  the  eyes  of  the  astonished 
American.  Seizing  his  cap  the  king's  jester 
waved  it  frantically  to  and  fro,  as  if  making 
a  signal  to  the  men  at  the  edge  of  the  park. 

"Come  here,  Herr  Bennett,"  he  cried. 
"  See?  Am  I  not  king?  Have  they  not 
obeyed  my  command?  See?  They  are 
gone?" 

Bennett  gazed  searchingly  at  the  trees  be- 
neath which  the  group  had  stood  but  a  mo- 
ment before.  There  was  nothing  there  but 
the  moonlit  glory  of  the  forest. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  GUTE  Nacht,  Herr  Bennett !  Schlafen  Sie 
wohl !" 

The  dwarf,  smiling  mischievously,  disap- 
peared through  the  entrance  and  Bennett 
closed  the  heavy  oaken  door  and  carefully 
bolted  it.  His  madcap  visitor  had  refused 
to  satisfy  his  curiosity  upon  several  impor- 
tant points,  and  the  American  made  ready 
for  bed  with  a  disturbed  mind.  Was  Cousin 
Fritz  really  his  friend?  That  the  dwarf  was 
crazy  he  had  no  doubt,  but  his  insanity  was 
not  dangerous  if  he  was  actually  well  dis- 
posed toward  the  stranger.  But  the  dwarf's 
mysterious  and  sudden  appearance,  his  signal 
to  the  men  Bennett  now  called  "  the  conspi- 
rators," and  his  stubborn  refusal  to  answer 
the  questions  put  to  him,  combined  to  cast  a 
doubt  upon  his  sincerity. 

"  The  situation  is  certainly  depressing,"  so- 
liloquized Bennett,  as  he  slowly  doffed  his 
clothes.  "  The  king  blows  hot  and  cold,  and, 
so  far  as  I  can  learn,  is  handicapped  by  an 
empty  treasury.  The  Princess  Hilda  holds 
me  in  contempt  and  suspicion.  The  crazy 
jester  is  not  a  safe  ally.  As  for  the  court  at 
large,  there  is  not  a  man  or  woman  in  the 
circle  who  would  not  be  glad  to  see  me 
driven  out  of  the  kingdom.  It  is  more  than 
probable  that  there  is  a  conspiracy  on  foot 
against  my  life.  And  what  do  I  gain  by  re- 


164  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

maining  here?  Not  one  glance  from  her 
wonderful  eyes,  not  a  smile  from  her  sweet 
lips;  nothing  but  cold,  contemptuous  indiffer- 
ence. Nobody,  so  far  as  I  know,  has  ever 
called  Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett  a  fool,  but 
he  deserves  that  name  to-night.  Heigh-ho! 
a  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss,  but  it  gets 
a  great  many  hard  knocks." 

With  this  melancholy  reflection,  Bennett, 
with  a  farewell  glance  at  the  moonlight 
pouring  in  at  the  windows — which  he  had 
taken  care  to  fasten  with  bars — turned  on 
his  pillow  and  wooed  the  fickle  goddess 
whose  duty  it  is  to  reknit  the  raveled  sleeve 
of  care.  He  was  about  to  win  a  great  vic- 
tory in  his  coquetting  with  sleep,  when  he 
was  startled  into  a  sitting  posture  by  a  rap 
on  the  panel  of  the  door  he  had  recently 
bolted. 

Bennett's  first  thought  was  that  he  had 
fallen  into  a  doze  and  had  been  the  victim 
of  a  mild  attack  of  nightmare.  He  listened 
intently.  The  breeze  from  the  hills,  defying 
the  broken  windows,  stirred  the  heavy  hang- 
ings surrounding  his  old-fashioned  bed,  and 
the  mysterious  noises  that  haunt  an  ancient 
castle  at  night  fell  upon  his  ear.  Suddenly  a 
gentle  rap  again  echoed  from  the  opposite 
side  of  the  chamber.  The  American  pushed 
aside  his  bed  curtains  and  stole  softly  toward 
the  door.  The  ease  with  which  Cousin  Fritz 
had  defied  bolts  and  bars  had  not  tended  to 
allay  Bennett's  growing  distrust  of  his  sur- 
roundings. 

"Who's  there?"  he  asked  in  a  low  voice  as 
he  reached  the  door.  There  was  a  silence 
for  an  instant.  Bennett,  who  prided  himself 
upon  his  courage,  was  ashamed  to  realize 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  165 

that  his  heart  was  beating  with  an  abnormal 
celerity. 

"  I  come  from  the  princess,"  answered  a 
woman's  voice.  "  I  have  a  message  for  Herr 
Bennett." 

"Wait  just  a  moment,  then,"  said  the 
astonished  American,  hurrying  toward  the 
chair  upon  which  he  had  placed  his  clothes. 
That  Princess  Hilda  wished  to  communicate 
with  him  was  a  fact  so  surprising  that  his 
agitation  increased.  His  hands  trembled  as 
he  hurriedly  donned  his  garments  and  en- 
deavored to  render  his  toilet  worthy  of  the 
audience  before  him. 

Presently  he  unbolted  the  great  door,  and 
against  the  moonlight  that  streamed  through 
the  corridor  he  saw  the  figure  of.  one  of  the 
princess's  waiting-women. 

"  Let  us  go  as  quietly  as  possible,"  she 
said.  "  The  Princess  Hilda  will  receive  you 
in  the  Hall  of  Armor." 

They  crept  softly  along  the  corridor  and 
down  a  flight  of  stone  steps  that  seemed  to 
lead  them  from  the  moonlight  into  the  black 
depths  of  eternal  gloom.  The  woman  rapped 
on  a  small  door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway. 
As  they  awaited  the  answer  to  her  signal, 
the  thought  flashed  through  Bennett's  mind 
that  he  had  placed  himself  in  the  power  of 
those  who  might  prove  to  be  his  enemies. 
He  sought  in  vain  to  read  the  face  of  the 
woman  at  his  side.  Instinctively  he  placed 
his  hand  upon  his  hip  pocket,  in  which  he  had 
always  carried  a  revolver.  A  moment  Lster 
he  felt  ashamed  of  his  fears.  The  small 
door  had  been  thrown  back,  and  upon  his 
startled  gaze  broke  a  vision  that  recalled  his 
youthful  dreams  of  romance. 


1 66  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Through  the  stained-glass  windows  of  a 
great  hall  the  moonlight  streamed  in  multi- 
colored beams.  Like  a  mediaeval  army  mus- 
tered at  midnight  stood  the  grim  figures  of 
the  armored  Schwartzburgers.  Long  black 
shadows,  weird  and  wavering,  made  effective 
background  for  the  polychromatic  glories  of 
this  dazzling  scene. 

And  there  in  the  foreground,  the  moon- 
light caressing  her  golden  hair,  stood  the 
Princess  Hilda,  a  vision  of  beauty  amid  the 
relics  of  old  wars  and  the  steel-clad  present- 
ments of  her  blood-stained  ancestors.  The 
clear-cut  face,  the  stately  figure,  the  regal 
simplicity  of  her  attire,  seemed  to  make  her 
at  that  instant  the  very  incarnation  of  all 
that  was  noblest  in  the  medieval  cult.  She 
appeared  to  be  a  spirit  from  the  past  haunt- 
ing the  scenes  where  chivalrous  warriors  in 
the  days  of  old  had  paid  the  homage  of  death 
in  return  for  the  smile  of  love. 

Bennett  felt  dazed  by  the  unexpected 
beauty  of  the  picture  that  met  his  eyes. 
For  a  moment  he  doubted  the  reality  of  the 
scene  before  him.  Was  he  dreaming?  Was 
it  not  certain  that  a  love  song,  followed  by  a 
martial  chorus,  would  soon  recall  him  to  his 
senses;  that  he  would  find  himself  not  in  a 
castle  but  in  an  opera  house? 

Suddenly  the  voice  of  the  princess  con- 
vinced him  of  the  reality  of  his  surround- 
ings. 

'  Herr  Bennett,  accept  my  thanks.  It  was 
kind  of  you  to  come  to  me." 

The  words  were  unexpected.  They  placed 
the  princess  under  obligation  to  a  man  she 
had  hitherto  treated  with  contemptuous  in- 
difference. But  her  voice  was  cold  and  for- 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  167 

mal.  Bennett  realized  that,  like  the  figures 
of  her  ancestors,  she  was  clad  in  armor. 
Theirs  was  of  steel,  hers  of  pride. 

"  It  would  be  the  greatest  pleasure  of  my 
life  to  serve  you,  Princess  Hilda,"  said  the 
American,  the  tone  of  his  voice  leaving  no 
doubt  of  his  sincerity. 

There  was  silence  between  them  for  a 
time.  In  some  remote  corner  of  the  castle 
a  door  creaked  on  its  hinges.  The  waiting- 
woman  made  a  gesture  of  impatience  some- 
where in  the  shadows,  and  a  piece  of  armor 
clanked  angrily. 

"  If  that  is  true,"  said  the  princess,  with  less 
coldness  in  her  tones  than  before,  "  I  shall 
put  you  to  the  test  at  once.  Herr  Bennett, 
I  am  in  sore  distress." 

How  great  a  sacrifice  it  was  for  this  proud 
woman  to  meet  him  thus  secretly  and  to  con- 
fess that  he  could  be  of  service  to  her  in  her 
hour  of  trouble,  Bennett  was  sufficiently  gen- 
erous to  realize.  Irresponsible  in  many  ways, 
brilliant  but  erratic,  the  American  was  essen- 
tially a  gentleman.  Furthermore,  he  had 
never  felt  for  a  woman  the  reverential  admi- 
ration that  the  golden-haired  vision  before 
him  inspired.  There  was  something  un- 
earthly in  the  influence  she  exercised  over 
him  at  this  moment.  The  glory  of  renunci- 
ation— the  crowning  beauty  of  the  age  of 
chivalry — seemed  to  affect  him  as  he  stood 
there  in  the  shimmering  moonlight,  a  mod- 
ern knight-errant  vowing  fealty  to  a  high 
ideal  at  a  mediaeval  shrine. 

"I  repeat,"  he  said,  "my  promise  to  serve 
you  as  best  I  may." 

"Then  I  implore  you,  Herr  Bennett,"  went 
on  the  princess  in  a  low  voice,  "  to  leave  the 


l68  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

kingdom  at  once.  The  harm  you  have 
wrought  may  never  be  wholly  undone,  but 
you  can,  at  least,  save  us  from  further  dis- 
aster." 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  wish,  Princess  Hilda," 
he  said  sadly.  "  But  tell  me,  is  the  crisis 
more  threatening  than  I  had  feared?" 

"  I  do  not  know,"  she  answered,  a  melan- 
choly smile  playing  across  her  face.  "  The 
king  is  driven  to  his  wit's  ends,  and  to-night 
he  had  news  from  below  that  fills  him  with 
consternation.  As  you  know,  his  brother, 
my  uncle  Wilhelm,  plots  for  his  dethrone- 
ment. His  emissaries  throughout  the  king- 
dom are  fostering  discontent.  The  recent 
defalcations  have  emboldened  the  schemers 
and  the  feeling  against  the  king  is  on  the 
increase.  There  is  only  one  thing  that  can 
save  us,  Herr  Bennett.  If  it  is  noised  abroad 
in  the  morning  that  you  have  left  Hesse- 
Heilfels,  never  to  return,  his  majesty's  sub- 
jects will  take  heart  and  rally  to  his  support. 
Am  I  not  right?" 

Her  appeal  to  his  judgment  pleased  Ben- 
nett. Furthermore,  he  knew  that  the  con- 
clusion she  had  reached  was  sound.  Never- 
theless, the  sacrifice  he  was  about  to  make 
was  greater  than  she  could  understand.  That 
a  Yankee  adventurer  should  dare  to  harbor 
for  a  princess  of  the  house  of  Schwartzburg 
a  feeling  akin  to  love  was  a  possibility  that, 
he  well  knew,  she  could  not  comprehend. 

"I  fear,"  he  said  gloomily,  "that  you  are 
not  wrong,  Princess  Hilda,  in  looking  upon 
me  as  the  Jonah  who  is  sinking  the  ship  of 
state.  It  is  well,  perhaps,  that  I  should  go 
at  once.  But  give  me  leave  to  say  that  in 
obeying  your  commands  I  feel  a  joy  that  is 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  169 

begotten  of  my  power  to  repair  in  part  the 
wrongs  that  I  have  done  to  you,  and  a  sorrow 
that  springs  from  the  thought  that  I  shall 
never  look  upon  your  face  again." 

Impulsively  he  stepped  forward,  and  bend- 
ing his  knee  kissed  the  cold  hand  she  held 
out  to  him.  Then  he  arose,  gazed  for  a  mo- 
ment at  her  white,  sad  face,  and  turned  and 
left  the  hall. 

How  he  reached  his  apartments,  Bennett 
never  knew.  That  he  groped  for  many  min- 
utes in  a  darkness  that  seemed  eternal,  bruis- 
ing himself  in  his  efforts  to  find  the  moonlit 
corridor,  he  remembered  later  on;  but  the 
bitterness  of  his  renunciation  —  fantastic 
though  his  love  might  be — was  the  one  feel- 
ing that  dominated  him  during  that  midnight 
passage  through  unknown  hallways  and  up 
shadow-haunted  stairs. 

As  he  glanced  around  his  bedchamber  a 
conviction  came  over  him  that  it  had  been 
entered  since  his  departure.  He  had  found 
the  oak  doors  closed,  as  he  had  left  them, 
but  there  was  something  in  the  appearance 
of  the  apartment — he  could  not  say  just  what 
it  was — that  convinced  him  that  some  one 
had  paid  him  a  visit  during  his  absence.  He 
approached  the  bed  and  pulled  aside  the  cur- 
tains. Upon  one  of  the  pillows  a  piece  of 
note-paper  had  been  pinned.  Seizing  it  ner- 
vously, Bennett  hurried  to  a  window,  through 
which  the  moonlight  was  still  streaming. 
Scrawled  in  pencil,  the  paper  bore  the  fol- 
lowing lines : 

"  Come  to  the  king  at  once  when  you  re- 
turn. He  is  in  grave  danger,  and  so  are  you. 
This  is  not  a  jest.  COUSIN  FRITZ." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  inn  at  which  Jonathan  Edwards  Ben- 
nett, some  weeks  before  the  present  crisis, 
had  learned  that  King  Rudolph  XII.  was 
afflicted  with  rheumatism,  had  become  the 
centre  of  high  pressure  for  politics  and 
poker.  "  Destroy  the  inns  and  wine-shops  in 
your  domain,  and  you  will  never  be  bothered 
by  conspiracies,"  a  diplomatist  and  scholar 
had  once  written  to  a  former  king  of  Hesse- 
Heilfels.  "  I  prefer  my  inns  and  my  rebels  to 
the  loss  of  the  former,"  the  conservative 
Schwartzburger  had  answered.  It  is  highly 
probable  that  the  king  in  this  instance  dis- 
played more  wisdom  than  the  diplomatist. 

The  ancient  hostelry  to  which  reference 
was  made  in  a  former  chapter  presented  a 
picture  of  unwonted  gayety  on  the  moonlit 
night  that  had  brought  so  many  adventures 
to  the  distraught  American  at  the  castle. 
The  wine  that  has  made  the  Schwartzburger 
vineyards  famous  the  world  over  has  served 
to  give  to  the  inhabitants  of  Hesse-Heilfels 
a  vivacity  that  is  not  generally  characteristic 
of  the  German  nation. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  in  illustration  of 
the  foregoing  proposition,  that  King  Ru- 
dolph's subjects  were  the  only  people  in  the 
empire  who  would  have  become  fascinated 
by  the  game  of  draw  poker  at  what  might  be 
termed  "one  fell  swoop."  Beneath  their 
phlegmatic  exterior,  the  inhabitants  of  Hesse- 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  171 

Heilfels  conceal  temperaments  highly  im- 
pressionable and  excitable. 

"  Give  me  one  card,  Heinrich,"  cried  a 
short,  fat,  red-faced  man,  glancing-  slyly  at 
the  dealer  and  solemnly  placing  his  discard 
on  the  table. 

"  Mein  Gott,  that  looks  as  if  he  was  draw- 
ing to  a  flush,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  oppo- 
nents, throwing  away  his  hand  and  gazing 
ruefully  at  his  lost  "  ante." 

Grouped  around  the  four  players  in  a  rear 
room  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  inn  were  ten 
or  twelve  men,  varying  in  years  from  youth 
to  old  age.  Their  garb  was  picturesque  and 
many-hued.  Green  or  brown  caps,  velveteen 
coats,  and  low  shoes  combined  to  make  their 
costumes  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  an  observer 
sensitive  to  artistic  effects.  The  eighteenth 
century  in  costume  had  met  the  nineteenth 
century  at  poker,  and  the  outcome  was  a 
scene  worthy  the  brush  of  a  Dutch  painter. 

"  Bring  wine,"  cried  one  of  the  discouraged 
gamblers,  who  had  lost  steadily  for  an  hour 
or  more.  "  This  is  the  devil's  game!  Here, 
you  smug-faced  Wilhelm!  Repeat  a  pater- 
noster over  my  chips.  It  will  break  the  spell 
Satan  has  cast  upon  my  luck." 

"  Heinrich  wins  again !"  murmured  the 
group  of  onlookers.  "  It  is  marvellous." 

"Ach,  Heinrich,"  exclaimed  a  large-eyed, 
tow-headed  youth,  "  have  you  been  taking 
private  lessons  at  the  castle?" 

A  general  laugh  followed  this  sally,  and 
the  game  went  on.  Suddenly  a  rich  voice 
arose  from  a  corner  of  the  room  that  lay 
concealed  in  shadow.  "  Hush,  it  is  Carl ! 
Let's  hear  his  new  song!"  cried  the  group 
surrounding  the  gamblers.  The  four  players 


172  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

withdrew  the  chips  they  had  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  table  and  suspended  their  game 
for  a  while.  No  sound  interfered  with  the 
thrilling  effect  of  the  baritone's  clear,  full 
tones. 

I. 

A  king  in  his  castle  was  gay  one  day, 

And  he  called  for  his  poker  chips. 
And  he  cried  :  "  Ach  Gott,  for  a  brave  jack-pot, 

With  the  red  wine  at  my  lips." 

II. 

And  he  played  for  stakes  with  a  wight  that  night 

Who  came  from  the  world  below. 
And  the  king  at  nine  was  touched  by  wine, 

While  the  game  was  getting  slow. 

III. 

"I'll  bet  my  soul,"  cried  the  king,  to  bring 

The  fever  he  longed  for  back, 
And  a  wicked  smile  he  showed  the  while 
As  he  shuffled  the  potent  pack. 

IV. 

"  Your  soul  I'll  win,  but  not,  by  Gott, 

On  the  turn  of  a  fickle  card  !  " 
And  the  devil  laughed,  as  the  wine  he  quaffed, 
And  called  the  king  his  "  pard." 

V. 

From  nine  to  twelve,  not  long  in  song, 

Was  enough  for  the  devil's  game  ; 
And  the  king  was  lost,  as  the  cards  he  tossed 

In  the  face  of  the  imp  to  blame." 

The  applause  that  awarded  the  singer's 
effort  was  neither  loud  nor  enthusiastic. 
This  open  commission  of  the  crime  of  Use 
majest^  in  a  public  inn  sent  a  thrill  of  aston- 
ishment through  the  crowd,  and  with  one 
impulse  the  poker  players  threw  down  their 
cards  and  arose  from  the  table. 

"  White  livers !"  cried  the  voice  of  the  sin- 
ger. "  Are  you  afraid  of  shadows?"  Carl, 
the  famous  baritone,  stepped  forward  into 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  173 

the  centre  of  the  room.  He  was  not  only  the 
best  singer  and  the  most  accomplished  musi- 
cian, but  also  the  handsomest  man  in  Hesse- 
Heilfels.  "  Gamblers,  wine-bibbers,  cowards ! 
I  blush  for  my  country  when  I  look  at 
you !" 

Carl  Eingen  was  the  only  man  in  Hesse- 
Heilfels  who  would  have  dared  to  utter  such 
words  to  these  men,  flushed  as  they  were 
with  wine.  But  his  influence  over  them  was 
strong,  and  they  gazed  upon  his  clear-cut, 
impassioned  face  with  affection  and  admira- 
tion. He  looked  every  inch  a  leader  as  he 
stood  there  bareheaded,  his  dark,  curly  hair 
adding  to  the  beauty  of  his  well-shaped  head 
and  pale,  strong  countenance. 

"  What  have  you  done?"  he  went  on  sternly. 
"  You  have  allowed  a  stranger  from  across 
the  sea  to  become  the  head  and  front  of  this 
ancient  realm.  You  sit  here,  playing  the 
game  he  taught  your  king,  while  your  coun- 
try goes  to  ruin  and  the  castle  upon  yonder 
hill  becomes  a  plague-spot  that  throws  a 
blight  upon  a  whole  people.  Are  you  men 
— or  simply  wine-vats?  Where  is  the  man- 
hood that  made  your  ancestors  great  in  war 
and  men  of  force  in  peace?  You  have  heard 
that  in  every  inn,  in  every  house  in  Hesse- 
Heilfels  our  countrymen,  gone  mad  over  a 
foolish  game  of  chance,  spend  their  days  and 
nights  playing  poker.  You  have  heard  that 
chaos  reigns  at  the  castle,  that  the  kingdom 
is  placed  in  peril  by  a  ruler  who  has  become 
the  tool  of  an  adventurer,  a  man  who  has  no 
claim  upon  the  king,  no  right  to  our  regard. 
Again  I  ask  you,  are  you  men?  Think  not 
that  the  people  have  no  rights.  The  King 
of  Hesse-Heilfels  is  absolute  in  power,  but  I 


174  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

say  to  you,  my  friends,  that  he  forfeits  his 
divine  right  when  he  gives  that  power  to  a 
trickster,  to  a  man  of  alien  blood  who  loves 
us  not.  Do  you  weigh  my  words?  Tell  me, 
my  countrymen,  do  I  not  speak  the  truth?" 

"Ja  wohl,  Carl!"  cried  one  of  his  hearers. 
"  You  are  right.  We  will  do  as  you  direct, 
eh,  my  friends?" 

A  murmur  of  assent  arose  from  the  awed 
and  penitent  throng.  One  of  the  poker 
players  seized  the  cards  and  chips  that  lay 
upon  the  table  and  hurled  them  passionately 
through  the  open  window. 

"  Lead  on,  Carl,"  he  cried.  "  We'll  follow 
you  to  the  death." 

"  Lead  on,  Carl.  You'll  find  that  we  are 
men,"  shouted  another. 

"  Down  with  the  Yankee !"  cried  a  third. 

"  Wilhelm  for  king !"  came  from  the  rear 
of  the  room. 

"Ja!  Ja!  Wilhelm,  Wilhelm!"  arose  the 
cry  as  the  crowd  poured  from  the  hot  and 
smoke-choked  room  into  the  cool,  soft  night 
outside,  where  the  light  of  the  gentle  moon 
threw  its  silvery  glory  upon  a  scene  well 
fitted  to  rouse  in  the  hearts  of  men  a  love 
of  fatherland. 

Carl  Eingen  hurried  to  the  front,  and  turn- 
ing toward  his  overwrought  followers,  said 
sternly : 

"  No  noise !  Remain  as  silent  as  the  night. 
We  cannot  overthrow  a  dynasty  by  childish 
chatter.  The  man  who  utters  a  sound  is  a 
traitor  to  Wilhelm,  the  rightful  King  of 
Hesse-Heilfels." 

"  Tell  me,  Carl,  what  is  your  plan?"  asked 
one  of  the  revolutionists,  pushing  his  way 
through  the  throng  to  the  leader's  side. 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  175 

"  You  can't  depose  a  king  with  a  few  half- 
drunken  men." 

Carl  Eingen  gazed  searchingly  at  the  pale, 
drawn  face  of  the  speaker. 

"  Have  no  fear,  Conrad, "he  said,  convinced 
that  he  addressed  a  man  not  stirred  by  the 
fumes  of  wine.  '"  The  guards  at  the  palace 
are  on  our  side.  From  every  part  of  the 
kingdom  our  friends  are  hurrying  toward  the 
castle.  This  is  no  midsummer  night's  mad- 
ness, Conrad.  It  is  simply  a  very  small  part 
of  a  deep-laid  scheme,  conducted  'possibly 
from  Berlin  and  approved  by  one  who  is 
greater  than  the  king  of  Hesse-Heilfels. 
These  men  with  us  I  shall  use  for  a  special 
purpose.  The  brunt  of  this  business  is  borne 
by  others,  but  to  me  has  been  entrusted  the 
capture  of  Herr  Bennett,  the  Yankee.  I  saw 
that  I  could  carry  my  point  with  our  friends 
here  if  I  said  the  right  word  at  the  right 
time.  Their  enthusiasm,  however,  is  spas- 
modic, and  their  lukewarmness,  their  dread 
of  the  awful  punishment  that  might  come  to 
them,  will  return  to  them  anon.  But  there 
is  inspiration  in  sharp  work.  We  must  give 
them  no  time  to  think,  Conrad !  Just  whisper 
to  Heinrich  that  it  is  our  purpose  to  capture 
the  Yankee  in  his  bed.  It  will  revive  their 
waning  spirits  and  act  like  wine  upon  their 
blood." 

A  hoarse  murmur  of  approval  again  arose 
from  the  hurrying  throng  as  they  learned  the 
special  object  of  their  expedition.  Then  in 
absolute  silence  they  stole  beneath  the  trees 
of  the  park  toward  the  castle. 

"There,  "said  Carl  Eingen,  taking  Conrad 
by  the  arm  and  pointing  to  a  balcony  that 
jutted  out  from  one  of  the  corner  towers  of 


176  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

of  the  castle,  "  there  is  where  the  Yankee 
sleeps." 

"  I  think  I  see  some  one  moving  up  there," 
whispered  Conrad  excitedly.  On  the  instant 
the  figure  of  the  dwarf,  an  uncanny  shape 
seemingly  begotten  of  the  madness  of  their 
rebellious  dreams,  appeared  upon  the  stone 
coping  of  the  balcony. 

"It's  Cousin  Fritz,"  exclaimed  Conrad 
hoarsely.  "  Is  he  in  your  secret?  See  how 
he  waves  his  cap." 

"  Back,  men !"  cried  Carl  excitedly.  "  Get 
into  the  shadow  of  the  trees.  No,  Conrad, 
that  madcap  dwarf  is  loyal  to  Rudolph,  but 
he  knows  our  plans.  In  trying  to  win  his 
support  I  fear  we  have  allowed  him  to  learn 
too  much  of  our  design.  He  may  be  crazy, 
but  he's  very  clever.  Confound  such  blun- 
dering! We  should  have  captured  Cousin 
Frtiz  and  locked  him  up  to-day.  He  knows 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  castle,  and  is 
an  ally  worth  a  thousand  men  with  guns. 
But  come,  let  us  move!  We'll  find  friends 
and  counsellors  across  the  park.  Silence, 
there !  Forward,  men,  and  make  no  noise — 
on  the  peril  of  your  lives." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JONATHAN  EDWARDS  BENNETT  found  him- 
self in  an  uncomfortable  predicament.  He 
had  solemnly  promised  to  leave  the  kingdom 
at  once,  and  he  felt  that  the  pledge  he  had 
given  to  the  Princess  Hilda  implied  an  obli- 
gation upon  his  part  to  refrain  from  seeing 
Rudolph  XII.  again.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
had  no  desire  to  risk  his  life  in  an  effort  to 
escape.  That  he  was  surrounded  by  enemies 
he  could  not  doubt.  He  recalled  the  silhou- 
ette made  by  the  conspirators  against  the 
moonlight,  and  it  assumed  a  new  significance 
to  his  mind  as  a  black  menace.  To  leave  the 
castle  at  this  moment  would  be  to  face  mys- 
terious perils  that  he  had  no  wish  to  'con- 
front. 

If  he  obeyed  the  command  in  the  jester's 
note  he  saw  before  him  two  unpleasant  pos- 
sibilities. If  Cousin  Fritz  played  him  false, 
he  might  walk  straight  into  the  enemy's 
trap.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  king  really 
awaited  his  coming,  his  recognition  of  the 
summons  might  look  to  Princess  Hilda  like 
treachery  to  her  and  disloyalty  to  his  pledged 
word. 

Bennett  musingly  approached  a  window 
and  looked  forth  upon  a  scene  that  would 
have  thrilled  him,  at  a  happier  moment, 
with  its  calm  beauty.  The  moon,  now  high 
in  the  heavens,  smiled  benignly  upon  a 
sleeping  world.  A  gentle  breeze  whispered 

12 


178  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

midnight  gossip  to  the  nodding  tree-tops. 
Man  and  his  restless  passions  seemed  out  of 
place  in  such  surroundings.  But  suddenly 
upon  Bennett's  astonished  sight  broke  a  vi- 
sion that  drove  from  his  mind  all  idea  of  na- 
ture's benignity  and  concentrated  his  thought 
upon  the  diabolical  activity  of  man. 

As  if  by  magic,  the  castle  seemed  to  be 
surrounded  by  dark  forms  moving  hither  and 
thither  with  a  certain  military  precision. 
They  appeared  to  come  from  the  forest  and 
to  obey  the  will  of  some  leader  who  had 
carefully  matured  his  plans.  Bennett  opened 
the  casement  and  leaned  forward.  He  could 
hear  the  distant  words  of  command  and  the 
subdued  tramp  of  marching  men.  That  he 
was  wide  awake  he  knew,  but  the  inexplicable 
scene  before  him  caused  him  for  an  instant 
to  question  his  own  sanity. 

"  Ha,  you  doubt  my  word?"  whispered  a 
rasping  voice  at  the  American's  elbow.  "  You 
imperil  precious  lives  because,  forsooth,  you 
will  not  look  upon  the  jester  as  a  friend. 
Herr  Bennett,  let  me  tell  you  you  are  mad- 
der than  your  servant,  Cousin  Fritz." 

The  dwarf  chuckled  with  raucous  merri- 
ment at  his  grim  joke.  Then  he  seized  Ben- 
nett's arm  and  drew  him  away  from  the 
window. 

"  There  is  no  time  to  lose,"  whispered  the 
dwarf  excitedly.  "  The  king  will  not  listen 
to  reason.  He  refuses  to  admit  that  his 
crown,  his  castle,  his  very  life  are  in  peril  at 
this  hour.  Come  with  me  and  tell  him  what 
you  saw  from  yonder  window.  Then,  throw 
him  a  hand  at  poker  for  life  or  death,  eh? 
We  must  be  gay,  Herr  Bennett,  even  though 
Brother  Wilhelm  has  placed  his  hand  upon 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  179 

our  sceptre  and  would  hurl  us  from  the 
throne.  We  must  be  gay,  nicht  wahr?" 

In  another  moment  Bennett  and  his  mad- 
cap guide  were  hastening  toward  King  Ru- 
dolph's audience  chamber. 

"  The  Princess  Hilda,  and  two  or  three  of 
the  king's  most  loyal  gentlemen  you  will 
find  here,"  said  the  dwarf,  as  they  approached 
the  king's  apartments.  "  I  want  you  to  per- 
suade my  Cousin  Rudolph  that  he  is  backing 
a  bobtailed  flush  against  a  full  house.  Isn't 
that  correct,  Herr  Bennett?  A  bcbtailed  flush 
against  a  full  house?" 

"  But  what  is  your  plan,"  asked  Bennett  fe- 
verishly. "  Is  this  really  an  armed  effort  to 
dethrone  the  king?" 

"  It  is  indeed — an  effort  armed  to  the  teeth. 
You  and  I,  Herr  Bennett,  are  the  only  loyal 
subjects  left  at  this  moment  to  Rudolph  XII., 
one  hour  ago  king  of  Hesse-Heilfels.  I  have 
been  looking  for  an  outbreak  for  some  years 
back.  I  am  used  to  them,  Herr  Bennett. 
During  the  thousand  years  I  have  passed  as 
the  real  ruler  of  Hesse-Heilfels,  I  have  seen 
many  uprisings  of  the  people,  and  I  have 
learned  to  detect  the  preliminary  symptoms. 
Wilhelm  has  played  his  cards  well.  He  has 
waited  until  the  time  was  ripe.  Now  he 
'calls,'  and  Rudolph  holds  no  hand." 

"And  you,  Cousin  Fritz?"  asked  Bennett, 
marvelling  at  the  strange  creature  at  his 
side. 

"  And  I?  I  remain  true  to  Rudolph.  I  can 
afford  to,  Herr  Bennett.  Am  I  not,  after  all, 
the  eternal  king  of  Hesse-Heilfels?  I  was 
king  before  the  Schwartzburgers  came,  and 
I  shall  reign  when  they  are  gone.  I  lose 
nothing  by  clinging  to  Rudolph's  falling 


I  So  KINGS  IN    ADVERSITY. 

state.  And  he  has  always  been  kind  to 
Cousin  Fritz !  But  let  us  hurry  on,  Herr 
Bennett.  Every  moment  is  now  of  value, 
if  we  would  persuade  the  king  that  he  must 
take  to  flight." 

Bennett  stumbled  forward  through  the 
dark  corridor,  clinging  to  the  dwarf's  arm 
and  wondering  vaguely  if  the  night's  adven- 
tures would  never  come  to  an  end.  It 
seemed  to  the  American  as  if  he  had  crowded 
into  the  space  of  a  few  brief  hours  an  experi- 
ence stolen  in  some  mysterious  way  from  a 
year  in  the  life  of  a  mediaeval  knight-errant. 
"  We  live  by  thoughts,  not  years ;  by  heart- 
throbs, not  in  figures  on  a  dial,"  he  mur- 
mured to  himself  as  they  reached  the  outer 
doors  of  the  king's  audience  chamber. 

A  striking  tableau  met  their  eyes  as  they 
passed  from  the  gloom  of  the  corridor  into 
the  lighted  hall.  King  Rudolph,  pale,  di- 
shevelled, wild-eyed,  stood  in  the  centre  of 
the  chamber,  gazing  helplessly  at  the  two 
courtiers  who  had  remained  loyal  to  him  on 
this  night  of  Brother  Wilhelm's  triumph. 
The  Princess  Hilda,  her  face  white,  but  calm, 
stood  by  his  side  and  seemed  to  be  whisper- 
ing words  of  comfort  to  the  discomfited  mon- 
arch. 

As  Rudolph's  eyes  rested  upon  Bennett  an 
expression  of  hope  crossed  his  face. 

"  Is  it  true,  Herr  Bennett?"  he  cried.  "  Tell 
these  men  they  lie.  Tell  them  my  castle  is 
not  infested  by  my  brother's  friends!  Tell 
them  they  dream  wild  dreams  on  a  peaceful 
summer  night.  What  means  this  wild  scur- 
rying to  and  fro?  Speak,  Herr  Bennett. 
You,  at  least  have  not  lost  your  wits." 

The    American    strove    to    catch   Hilda's 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  l8l 

eye,  but  the  princess  studiously  avoided  his 
gaze. 

"Your  majesty,"  said  Bennett  solemnly, 
"  I  have  seen  from  my  windows  a  sight  that 
convinces  me  you  stand  in  great  peril.  I 
cannot  doubt  the  evidence  of  my  senses. 
This  may  be  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, but  there  appears  to  be  a  middle-age 
deviltry  going  on  to-night,  and  you  and  I — 
if  you  will  pardon  my  frankness — seem  to  be 
the  victims." 

"You  blunder  there,  Herr  Bennett,"  said 
the  king,  with  a  touch  of  dignity  that  was 
worthy  of  his  royal  pretensions.  "  You  are 
the  cause — I  am  the  victim." 

Cousin  Fritz  had  been  dancing  impatiently 
round  the  room. 

"  You  waste  time,  Cousin  Rudolph,"  he 
cried  recklessly.  "  You  can't  stand  here  and 
put  down  a  revolution  by  a  royal  edict.  You. 
don't  hold  a  card  in  your  hand  that  is  worth 
drawing  to.  Leave  the  table  and  the  stakes 
to  the  winners  and  wait  for  better  luck." 

King  Rudolph,  with  a  gesture  of  despair, 
turned  toward  the  dwarf. 

"  Treachery  from  friends  and  wisdom  from 
the  mouths  of  fools !  It's  all  of  a  piece!  Go 
on,  Cousin  Fritz!  What  do  you  suggest? 
Your  advice  is  as  valuable  to-night  as  that 
of  the  men  who  have  pushed  me  toward  this 
precipice."  The  king  glanced  pointedly  at 
Bennett  and  the  two  loyal  courtiers  who 
lurked  in  the  background. 

"  Your  only  chance,  Cousin  Rudolph,"  said 
the  dwarf  coolly,  stepping  forward  and  bend- 
ing his  knee  with  solemn  mockery  before  the 
king,  "  is  to  follow  my  guidance.  Your 
guards  have  proved  false,  and  within  another 


182  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

ten  minutes  the  hirelings  of  Wilhelm  will  be 
at  yonder  door.  What  will  happen  then, 
who  can  say?  A  brother  who  would  seize 
your  crown  will  not  hesitate  to  take  your 
life.  But  his  lawlessness  will  not  find  favor 
long  with  the  good  people  of  Hesse-Heilfels. 
To-night  they  follow  the  lead  of  evil  coun- 
sellors. To-morrow  they  will  see  the  horror 
of  their  deeds.  To-morrow,  Cousin  Rudolph, 
you  will  again  be  king  in  their  hearts.  To- 
night they  serve  your  rival's  schemes." 

"  But  this  is  hardly  to  the  point,  Cousin 
Fritz,"  said  the  king  gently.  "  You  may 
speak  the  truth,  but  to-morrow  has  not  come. 
We  must  act,  and  act  at  once." 

"  Follow  me,  then, "cried  the  dwarf,  spring- 
ing to  his  feet  and  seizing  the  hand  of  Princess 
Hilda.  "Hark!  Hear  that?  They  are  com- 
ing toward  us.  Quick  now!  There  is  no 
time  to  lose." 

Drawing  the  princess  with  him,  Cousin 
Fritz  disappeared  behind  a  heavy  curtain 
that  concealed  a  portrait  of  a  famous 
Schwartzburger,  who  had  held  the  throne  of 
Hesse-Heilfels  nearly  two  centuries  ago. 
When  King  Rudolph,  Bennett,  and  the  two 
courtiers  drew  the  curtain  aside,  the  portrait 
had  disappeared  and  a  black  hole  in  the  wall 
met  their  eyes.  Out  of  the  darkness  came 
the  voice  of  Cousin  Fritz. 

"Come  on!  Come  on!  Don't  stop  to  draw 
cards.  This  isn't  poker.  Do  you  hear  me? 
We  aren't  playing  jack-pots,  your  majesty. 
We're  making  history." 

In  another  instant  the  curtain  had  fallen 
into  place  and  the  audience  chamber  re- 
mained lonely  and  silent  in  the  half  lights. 
Suddenly  an  uproar  outside  the  heavy  doors 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  183 

arose  and  into  the  room  rushed  a  crowd  of 
white-faced,  eager  men. 

"  Gott  im  Himmel!  where  is  he?"  cried  a 
hoarse  voice.  And  behind  the  curtain  the 
Schwartzburger  of  other  days  smiled  in  the 
darkness — and  remained  silent. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

COUSIN  FRITZ  led  the  way  through  the  im- 
penetrable darkness,  holding  the  princess  by 
the  arm.  Behind  them  came  Bennett,  guid- 
ing the  king  by  the  sound  of  the  dwarf's 
harsh,  insistent  voice.  Count  von  Reibach 
and  Baron  Wollenstein,  the  loyal  courtiers, 
stumbled  along  in  the  rear,  muttering  impa- 
tiently now  and  again  as  they  collided  with 
some  obstacle  in  their  course  or  lost  sight  in 
the  gloom  of  the  fugitives  in  front  of  them. 

"Courage,  friends,"  cried  Cousin  Fritz, 
cheerfully,  "we'll  find  a  place  of  safety  and 
comfort  very  soon."  He  and  the  princess  had 
paused  to  await  the  approach  of  their  com- 
panions. 

"  We  go  down  these  stairs, "explained  their 
guide,  as  the  four  men  grouped  themselves 
behind  him.  Scratching  a  match  against  the 
stone  wall  at  his  right  hand,  Cousin  Fritz 
showed  them  a  flight  of  steps  that  seemed 
to  run  downward  into  the  blackness  of  ever- 
lasting gloom.  The  Princess  Hilda  trembled 
as  if  with  cold. 

"  We  didn't  come  here  for  burial.  Cousin 
Fritz,"  remarked  King  Rudolph  testily,  lean- 
ing forward  and  gazing  into  the  abyss. 

"No,  your  majesty,  you  came  here  to  es- 
cape it,"  returned  the  dwarf  sarcastically. 
He  struck  another  temporary  light,  and  tak- 
ing the  hand  of  the  princess  began  to  descend 
the  steps.  It  required  a  good  deal  of  cour- 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  185 

age  to  follow  this  madcap  guide  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  but  the  men  behind  him 
seemed  to  have  no  choice  in  the  matter. 
For  some  time  past  they  had  obeyed  his 
orders,  and  at  this  juncture  there  seemed  to 
be  no  good  reason  for  rejecting  his  leader- 
ship. Bennett  was  the  only  one  of  the  party 
who  harbored  the  slightest  distrust  of  the 
dwarf's  loyalty.  Circumstances  had  com- 
bined to  prove  to  him  that  Cousin  Fritz  was 
worthy  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  but  the 
American,  suspicious  by  temperament  and 
habit,  crept  down  the  stone  steps  into  the 
chill  blackness  with  great  reluctance.  He 
had  grown  very  weary  of  the  seemingly  in- 
exhaustible resources  of  the  old  castle  in  the 
way  of  unpleasant  surprises,  and  he  hesitated 
to  place  himself  beyond  all  possibility  of  es^ 
cape  from  the  antique  structure. 

There  was  one  circumstance,  however,  that 
gave  Bennett  unalloyed  satisfaction  in  this 
hour  of  peril  and  discomfort.  The  social 
barrier  between  the  Princess  Hilda  and  him- 
self had  been  broken  down  at  one  blow. 
They  were  both  fugitives,  and,  although  she 
might  hold  him  responsible  for  the  downfall 
of  King  Rudolph,  he  was,  nevertheless,  in  a 
position  to  be  of  great  service  to  her  in  the 
crises  that  were  sure  to  confront  them  in  the 
near  future.  As  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  her 
stately  figure  in  the  flickering  gleam  thrown 
by  a  match  lighted  by  the  dwarf,  as  they 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  long  stairway,  a 
sensation  of  ecstatic  triumph  thrilled  Ben- 
nett's soul.  Down  here  in  the  damp  depths 
of  this  gigantic  cellar  there  were  no  kings, 
no  princesses,  no  counts,  no  barons.  They 
were  all  adventurers.  The  equality  begotten 


1 86  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

of  misfortune  had  placed  the  American  upon 
a  new  plane,  and  he  rejoiced  at  the  prospect 
that  opened  before  his  mind's  eye.  It  would 
go  hard,  indeed,  if  he  could  not  prove  his 
fealty  to  the  princess  by  a  method  less  he- 
roic, perhaps,  but  more  satisfactory  than  that 
of  voluntary  banishment.  Nevertheless,  he 
realized  that  at  this  moment  the  princess 
looked  upon  him  as  a  perjured  and  recreant 
knight,  no  longer  worthy  of  rank  on  the  lists 
of  chivalry. 

"  What  next,  Cousin  Fritz?"  asked  King 
Rudolph,  puffing  heavily  and  peering  anx- 
iously around  him.  "  We  seem  to  be  in  the 
wine  cellar." 

"  We  are,  your  majesty,"  answered  the 
dwarf.  "  We  are  surrounded  by  vintages 
worth  a  king's  ransom.  Pardon  me,  your 
majesty.  I  didn't  mean  to  be  personal.  But, 
follow  me  a  little  further,  and  I  will  fulfil  my 
promise  regarding  your  safety  and  comfort." 

A  moment  later  the  fugitives  stood  in  a 
large,  damp  room,  in  which  Cousin  Fritz 
seemed  thoroughly  at  home.  He  scurried 
about,  lighting  candles,  pushing  pieces  of 
antique  furniture  toward  his  guests  and  keep- 
ing up  a  running  fire  of  comment  on  the 
honor  paid  him  by  a  visit  from  royalty. 
Now  and  then  he  would  drop  a  sarcastic  re- 
mark that  suggested  to  Bennett  the  line  of 
thought  the  dwarf's  mind  was  pursuing. 
Cousin  Fritz,  monarch  of  Hesse-Heilfels  for 
a  thousand  years,  was  proving  openly  at  last 
that  he  was  more  powerful  than  any  tempo- 
rary monarch  who  held  the  throne  in  the 
eyes  of  a  short-sighted  world.  Here  in  his 
secret  apartments  was  the  real  centre  of  roy- 
alty in  Hesse-Heilfels.  Could  he  not  afford 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  187 

to  let  the  petty  kings  up  above  fret  their 
lives  away  while  he,  to  whom  a  century  was 
but  a  single  day,  reigned  undisturbed,  but 
all-powerful,  over  the  realm  they  thought 
was  theirs? 

"  Your  majesty  needs  repose,"  said  Cousin 
Fritz  imperiously,  pointing  toward  an  an- 
cient divan  in  a  distant  corner  of  the  room. 
"  You  are  out  of  spirits,  out  of  breath,  and 
out  of  danger.  Lie  down  and  take  your  rest. 
We  have  much  to  do  later  on,  and  we  must 
begin  the  day  fresh  from  a  little  sleep." 

King  Rudolph  gazed  blankly  at  the  dwarf. 
The  deposed  monarch  seemed  to  feel  the  se- 
vere physical  exertion  he  had  undergone, 
and  his  breath  came  and  went  with  painful 
effort.  He  stumbled  toward  the  divan  and 
stretched  himself  thereon  with  a  groan.  The 
princess  stood  by  the  side  of  his  rude  couch 
and  gently  rubbed  the  brow  from  which  a 
crown  had  so  recently  fallen.  In  a  moment 
the  king  had  dropped  into  a  restless  sleep 
and  was  snoring  with  a  royal  indifference  to 
the  comfort  of  others  curiously  character- 
istic of  the  Schwartzburgers. 

Cousin  Fritz  deferentially  approached  the 
Princess  Hilda,  and,  taking  her  hand,  led  her 
to  a  corner  of  the  room  that  lay  deep  in 
shadow.  Pulling  aside  a  heavy,  moth-eaten 
curtain,  the  dwarf  pointed  to  an  inner  and 
smaller  room  and  said : 

"  Your  apartment  awaits  you,  princess.  In 
the  hurry  of  our  departure  I  forgot  to  sum- 
mon one  of  your  women  to  attend  you.  I 
will  repair  this  oversight  at  once,  however. 
I  hope  you  will  forgive  my  carelessness." 

A  sad  smile  played  across  the  wan  face  of 
the  princess. 


l88  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

"  I  need  no  assistance,  Cousin  Fritz,"  she 
said  gently.  "  Do  not  risk  your  life  for  my 
sake.  You  must  not  return  to  my  apart- 
ments." 

The  dwarf  laughed  gayly.  "  I  go  and  come 
as  the  humor  sways  me,"  he  said  proudly, 
"  and  no  man  says  me  nay.  Sleep  for  a  time, 
sweet  princess,  and  when  you  awake  you  will 
find  a  woman  by  your  side.  Aufwiedersehen, 
and  may  you  sleep  well." 

He  dropped  the  curtain  and  skipped  lightly 
toward  von  Reibach  and  Wollenstein,  who 
stood  in  deep  converse  in  one  corner  of  the 
room,  glancing  furtively  now  and  then  at 
Bennett,  who  was  seated  in  a  chair  near  the 
centre  of  the  apartment,  moodily  reviewing 
the  startling  events  of  the  long  night. 

"You  will  do  me  the  honor,  gentlemen," 
said  the  dwarf  cordially,  but  with  a  note  of 
command  in  his  voice,  "  you  will  do  me  the 
honor  of  making  yourselves  comfortable  for 
a  time.  You  will  find  these  old  couches 
fitted  for  an  early  morning  nap.  As  for  me, 
I  must  return  to  the  upper  halls." 

Bennett  overheard  the  dwarf's  final  words. 
They  reawakened  his  slumbering  suspicion. 
As  the  count  and  baron,  acting  upon  the  hint 
thrown  out  to  them  by  their  host,  prepared 
themselves  for  sleep  in  a  shadow-haunted 
alcove,  he  strode  up  to  Cousin  Fritz.  Placing 
his  hand  upon  the  dwarf's  shoulder,  he  said: 

"  You  are  about  to  return  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  castle.  I  go  with  you,  my  friend." 

A  mocking  smile  played  across  the  unsym- 
metrical  face  of  the  dwarf.  He  read  Ben- 
nett's mind  at  a  glance. 

"  As  you  will,  Herr  Bennett.  My  advice 
to  you  would  be  to  get  a  little  sleep  while 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  189 

you  may,  but  your  company  on  an  expedi- 
tion that  is  not  without  some  slight  peril 
would  be  a  pleasure  and  a  comfort  to  me. 
Come,  then,  there  is  no  time  to  lose." 

They  had  hardly  passed  from  the  room  into 
the  gloom  of  the  cellar  when  a  thought 
crossed  Bennett's  mind  that  caused  him  to 
seize  the  dwarf's  arm  and  hold  him  motion- 
less for  a  moment. 

"These  men,"  he  whispered,  "why  have 
they  remained  loyal  to  the  king?  Count  von 
Reibach  first.  Why  does  he  cling  to  Ru- 
dolph's fallen  fortunes?" 

Cousin  Fritz  chuckled  silently.  Then  he 
answered  in  low,  rasping  tones : 

"  Von  Reibach  is  a  ruined  man.  He  has 
lost  his  all  at  poker,  and  fears  to  face  his 
creditors." 

"  And  Baron  Wollenstein?" 

"  Oh,  Wollenstein,"  answered  the  dwarf, 
*  Wollenstein  is  in  love  with  the  Princess 
Hilda." 

"  The  devil  you  say !"  muttered  Bennett 
profanely.  Suddenly  he  seized  the  dwarf's 
hand  in  a  grip  of  iron. 

"  Tell  me,  man,  why  do  you  leave  us  here 
at  this  time?" 

Cousin  Fritz  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
anger,  and  attempted  to  withdraw  his  hand 
from  the  American's  grip. 

"  Gott  im  Himmel,  Herr  Bennett,  why  do 
you  distrust  me?"  he  asked  petulantly. 
"  You're  the  shortest-sighted  clever  man  I 
ever  knew.  I'm  about  to  run  some  risk,  if 
you  must  know  it,  in  order  to  bring  back  a 
waiting-woman  for  the  princess.  I  made  a 
miscalculation,  and  must  atone  for  it.  Are 
you  satisfied?" 


190  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

A  hot  flush  rose  to  Bennett's  cheeks,  who 
felt  ashamed  of  the  injustice  he  had  done  to 
the  loyal  little  man  at  his  side. 

"  Go  then,"  he  exclaimed  cordially,  "  and 
forgive  me,  Cousin  Fritz,  for  my  imperti- 
nence. Hereafter  I  shall  trust  you  fully. 
As  for  me,  I  think  it  best  that  I  should  re- 
turn to  your  rooms.  Do  you  understand 
me?" 

"  I  think  I  do,  Herr  Bennett,"  answered  the 
dwarf,  laughing  mockingly  as  he  disappeared 
in  the  darkness. 

The  American  turned  and  groped  his  way 
toward  the  room  he  had  just  left.  He  opened 
the  heavy  door  softly.  The  candles  in  the 
grim  apartment  were  still  lighted,  but  heavy 
shadows  danced  blackly  here  and  there  as 
the  flames  wavered  in  the  draught.  Bennett 
glanced  around  the  apartment  apprehensive- 
ly. Suddenly  from  a  distant  corner  two  fig- 
ures made  toward  him  hurriedly.  He  real- 
ized instinctively  that  the  count  and  baron 
had  been  plotting  his  destruction. 

Closing  the  door  behind  him  he  leaned 
against  it,  and  drawing  his  revolver  from  his 
hip  pocket  held  the  weapon  in  front  of  him. 
The  flickering  candle-light  was  reflected  by 
the  gleaming  steel. 

"  Hold  hard,  my  friends,"  said  Bennett 
coolly,  "  a  step  farther  in  my  direction  means 
a  bullet  for  the  man  who  makes  it." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

BENNETT'S  face  was  pale  but  smiling  as 
he  witnessed  the  dismay  of  his  baffled  foes. 
That  his  possession  of  a  pistol  at  this  crisis 
had  saved  his  life  he  had  not  the  slightest 
doubt.  The  count  hated  him  because  he  had 
introduced  poker  into  the  kingdom;  the 
baron,  with  the  jealous  eyes  of  a  lover,  saw 
in  the  American  a  possible  rival  for  the  favor 
of  the  princess.  Furthermore,  the  courtiers 
realized,  doubtless,  that  if  they  were  cap- 
tured in  the  company  of  the  American  their 
chance  of  winning  pardon  from  Wilhelm,  the 
successful  usurper,  would  be  slight. 

All  this  passed  through  Bennett's  mind  as 
he  leaned  against  the  great  door  and  pointed 
his  weapon  first  at  the  count  and  then  at  the 
baron,  taking  a  mischievous  pleasure  in  their 
not  unnatural  disquietude.  Hardly  a  sound 
broke  the  stillness.  A  rat  gnawed  noisily 
somewhere  in  the  woodwork.  The  asthmatic 
breathing  of  the  deposed  king  could  be 
heard,  irregular  and  ominous. 

Suddenly  a  swishing  of  skirts  startled  Ben- 
nett and  his  foiled  assailants,  and  the  Prin- 
cess Hilda,  white  and  anxious,  stood  between 
them.  The  American  returned  his  revolver 
to  his  pocket  and  folded  his  arms  silently. 

"  What  does  this  mean?"  asked  the  Prin- 
cess sternly,  turning  from  one  to  another  of 
the  trio.  "  Is  it  not  enough  that  we  are 
driven  like  rats  into  a  hole?  Why  should 


IQ2  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

you  quarrel?  Herr  Bennett,  why  have  you 
threatened  the  lives  of  these  men?  Are  they 
not  unarmed?  And  you  stand  there,  like  a 
highwayman,  pointing  a  pistol  at  their  heads. 
Speak,  sir!  Have  you  nothing  to  say?" 

Bennett's  face,  flushed  at  first,  had  grown 
white  and  drawn. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say,  your  royal  high- 
ness," he  answered  in  a  low  voice. 

Count  von  Reibach  and  Baron  Wollenstein 
gazed  at  the  American  in  amazement.  His 
generosity  was  inexplicable. 

The  Princess  Hilda  stood  silent  for  a  time, 
plunged  in  deep  thought.  Then  she  said 
firmly  : 

"  Give  me  your  revolver,  Herr  Bennett." 

He  removed  the  weapon  from  his  pocket 
and  placed  it  carefully  in  her  outstretched 
hand. 

"A  wasp  is  harmless  without  his  sting," 
muttered  the  baron  under  his  breath.  Count 
von  Reibach,  more  generous  than  his  col- 
league, placed  his  hand  upon  the  latter's 
mouth  and  whispered  to  him  to  remain  si- 
lent. 

The  Princess  Hilda  had  retreated  toward 
her  apartment.  Before  she  dropped  the  cur- 
tain she  turned  and  looked  at  the  little  group 
behind  her.  In  one  hand  she  held  the  pistol, 
while  with  the  other  she  drew  the  curtains 
aside.  The  picture  that  she  made  at  that 
moment  in  the  flickering  light,  with  the  fitful 
gleams  playing  on  her  golden  hair,  while 
heavy  shadows  behind  her  threw  the  outlines 
of  her  tall  figure  into  strong  relief,  Bennett 
never  forgot.  Suddenly  she  dropped  the 
curtain  and  disappeared.  The  deep  gloom 
of  the  apartment  seemed  to  return  on  the 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  193 

instant,  and  the  American  turned  sadly  tow- 
ard his  foes.  Deprived  of  weapon,  he  had 
determined  to  sell  his  life,  if  the  struggle 
were  forced  upon  him,  as  dearly  as  he  might. 
To  his  astonishment,  however,  he  saw  Count 
von  Reibach  approaching  him  with  an  out- 
stretched hand. 

"  You  are  a  gentleman,  Herr  Bennett,"  said 
the  count  cordially,  "  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
you  go  to  extremes." 

"  Timeo  Danaos  et  dona  ferentes"  muttered 
Bennett  coldly,  not  accepting  the  count's 
hand.  "  You  must  acknowledge,  sir,  that  by 
going  to  extremes  I  took  the  only  course 
open  to  me  at  the  moment." 

Count  von  Reibach  smiled  grimly.  "  The 
fact  is,  Herr  Bennett,  that  we  had  formed 
no  diabolical  design,  the  baron  and  myself. 
For  certain  reasons — reasons  of  state,  as  our 
unhappy  king  would  say — we  felt  that  your 
presence  here  was  inopportune,  and  we  had 
decided  to — to " 

"  Assassinate  me, "remarked  Bennett  curtly. 

"  Not  at  all.  You  do  us  grave  injustice,  I 
assure  you.  It  is  just  possible  that,  had  you 
not  checked  our  impetuosity  at  the  right  mo- 
ment, we  might  have  imprisoned  you  in  an 
empty  wine-cask  somewhere  in  the  cellar,  but 
we  had  no  wish  to  take  your  life.  The  Count 
von  Reibach  and  Baron  Wollenstein  are  not 
cut-throats,  Herr  Bennett.  And  let  me  as- 
sure you  we  appreciate  your  generosity  in 
refusing  to  accuse  us  to  the  princess." 

The  Baron  Wollenstein  had  listened  sul- 
lenly to  his  comrade's  rather  lame  apology. 
He  gazed  with  stubborn  enmity  at  Bennett, 
and  then  said  to  the  count : 

"  Come,  von  Reibach,  let's  get  some  sleep. 

13 


194  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

The  fact  is,  I'm  ausgespielt.  As  for  this — gen- 
tleman, let  me  assure  him  that  we  have  no 
further  intention  of  interfering  with  his  lib- 
erty. Come,  count." 

The  two  courtiers  retired  toward  a  dark 
corner  of  the  room,  not  far  from  the  entrance 
to  Princess  Hilda's  apartment.  Here  they 
stretched  themselves  upon  a  dilapidated 
piece  of  furniture  that  had  once  served  as 
a  regal  couch  for  a  reigning  Schwartzburger. 
Bennett  could  hear  their  guttural  voices  as 
they  talked  together  in  low  tones  for  a  time. 
Then  silence,  broken  only  by  the  king's  la- 
bored breathing  and  the  occasional  snores  of 
the  exhausted  courtiers,  reigned  in  the  old 
lumber-room,  made  barely  habitable  by 
Cousin  Fritz's  efforts. 

The  Princess  Hilda,  upon  her  return  to  the 
inner  room,  had  thrown  herself  fully  dressed 
upon  the  improvised  bed  prepared  for  her  by 
the  dwarf,  and  had  vainly  attempted  to  for- 
get her  woes  in  sleep.  The  horrors  of  her 
situation  forced  themselves  persistently  upon 
her  mind  and  the  events  of  a  long  and  dread- 
ful day  allied  themselves  in  opposition  to 
peaceful  slumber.  It  seemed  an  age  since 
she  had  stood  beside  King  Rudolph  in  the 
morning  and  had  attempted  to  impress  him 
with  the  seriousness  of  the  crisis  that  con- 
fronted them.  The  downfall  of  her  uncle, 
and  their  undignified  flight,  had  occurred 
with  such  suddenness  that  she  had  not  yet 
been  able  to  grasp  their  full  significance. 
Then  a  strange,  inexplicable  feeling  stole 
over  her  and  she  realized,  with  a  sensation 
of  shame,  that  in  this  dark  hour  she  took 
comfort  in  the  presence  of  Herr  Bennett. 
Annoyed  by  this  discovery,  she  turned  rest- 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  195 

lessly  upon  her  pillow  and  again  attempted 
to  forget  her  woes  and  weariness  in  sleep. 

The  lower  regions  of  the  castle  of  the 
Schwartzburgers  were  not  wholly  under  the 
control  of  Cousin  Fritz.  His  sway  was  dis- 
puted by  the  rats,  liberty-loving  creatures 
having  no  respect  for  the  rights  of  property 
nor  reverence  for  royalty.  A  rat-hole,  run- 
ning clear  through  the  wall,  opened  like  a 
speaking-tube  just  where  the  shapely  ear  of 
the  Princess  Hilda  rested  as  she  lay  quiet, 
fervently  praying  for  sleep.  Suddenly  her 
wandering  thoughts  were  recalled  from  the 
borderland  of  oblivion  by  the  stern  realities 
of  her  surroundings.  She  heard  distinctly 
the  guttural  voice  of  Baron  Wollenstein  as 
he  said  to  Count  von  Reibach : 

"  You  are  too  soft  -  hearted,  Count.  Our 
only  safety  lies  in  Herr  Bennett's  death. 
Mark  my  words,  it  is  his  life  or  ours  in  the 
end.  This  is  no  time  for  gentle  deeds  and 
kindly  words.  We'll  be  captured  in  this 
hole,  as  sure  as  Wilhelm  reigns.  If  we  kill 
Bennett  and  conceal  his  body,  we  can  prove 
to  Wilhelm  that  we  followed  Rudolph  in  the 
interest  of  the  new  regime,  Verstehen  Sie? 
Am  I  not  right?" 

The  horrified  princess  could  not  catch  the 
count's  answer.  She  strained  her  ear  in 
vain,  but  the  rat-hole  no  longer  served  her 
purpose  as  an  eavesdropper.  How  long 
she  lay  motionless  she  knew  not,  but  after 
a  time  the  snoring  of  the  conspirators  con- 
vinced her  that  they  had  ceased  their  plot- 
ting for  a  time  and  were  plunged  in  sleep. 

The  princess  arose  softly,  grasped  the  re- 
volver that  she  had  placed  on  the  floor  near 
her  bed,  and  stole  toward  the  entrance  to  the 


196  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

chamber.  As  she  pulled  aside  the  curtains 
and  glanced  furtively  around  the  larger  room 
she  saw  that  one  candle  still  burned  dimly 
in  a  corner  near  the  main  entrance.  By  its 
flickering  gleams  she  could  make  out  the 
figure  of  the  exhausted  American  as  he  lay, 
sprawled  in  broken  slumbers,  in  an  antique 
chair  near  the  door  through  which  he  ex- 
pected the  return  of  Cousin  Fritz. 

As  she  approached  Bennett  a  feeling  of 
mingled  tenderness  and  repentance  came 
over  her  This  man  had  been  in  peril  of  his 
life,  and  she  had  harshly  accused  him  of  a 
crime.  Was  it  not  more  than  possible  that 
she  had  always  misjudged  him;  that  he  had 
found  it  impracticable  to  fulfil  the  oath  he 
had  sworn  to  her  in  the  Hall  of  Armor? 
Surely  he  had  not  promised  to  leave  the 
castle  before  the  morning,  and  the  morning, 
she  imagined,  was  only  just  breaking.  She 
glanced  down  at  his  white,  clear-cut  face, 
rendered  almost  ghastly  by  the  dim  light  in 
contrast  with  his  black,  luxuriant  hair. 

"  Herr  Bennett,"  she  whispered  gently, 
bending  forward  and  placing  a  hand  upon 
his  shoulder.  He  awoke  on  the  instant  and 
their  eyes  met. 

"  Take  your  pistol,"  she  said  simply.  "  You 
are  still  in  grave  danger.  I  did  you  an  in- 
justice." 

He  had  sprung  to  his  feet,  a  mournful 
smile  playing  across  his  face. 

"  Your  royal  highness,"  he  said,  "  I  thank 
you  from  my  heart — not  for  the  weapon  but 
for  your  words." 

A  flush  arose  to  her  cheeks  and  there  came 
into  her  eyes  a  light  as  sweet  as  the  dawn 
that  drove  the  shadows  from  the  hills  outside. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  Princess  Hilda  opened  her  eyes 
wearily.  She  had  slept  for  several  hours, 
but  her  first  sensation  as  she  woke  was  one 
of  utter  misery.  Sleep  had  brought  with  it 
no  refreshment,  no  exhilaration.  The  mere 
joy  of  living,  that  so  often  thrilled  her  in  the 
morning,  she  seemed  to  have  lost  forever. 
,The  twilight  that  reigned  in  this  subterra- 
nean apartment,  the  sudden  recollection  of 
the  grim  disasters  of  the  previous  day,  the 
discomfort  that  resulted  from  sleeping  fully 
dressed,  and  the  sensation  of  utter  loneliness 
that  came  over  her,  combined  to  render  her 
awakening  painful.  She  turned  impatiently 
upon  her  couch.  Suddenly  a  smile  of  joy 
lighted  her  sad  face.  Fraulein  Miiller,  her  fa- 
vorite attendant,  a  plump,  red-cheeked  young 
woman  of  twenty,  was  seated  by  her  side. 

"  Good  morning,  your  highness,"  cried  the 
maiden  cheerily.  "  You  seem  glad  to  see 
me." 

"  I  am  indeed,"  said  the  princess  warmly  c 
"  This  has  been,  Gretchen,  oh,  such  an  aw- 
ful night !  I  feel  as  if,  somehow,  my  youth 
had  gone  forever ;  that  I  shall  always  be  an 
old,  old  woman." 

Fraulein  Miiller  laughed  gayly.  "  It  is  not 
so  bad  as  that,  my  princess.  Lie  quiet  for 
a  while  and  I  will  make  you  young  again. 
See.  I  have  brought  with  me  many  things 


198  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

that  you  need.  I  was  heart-broken  until 
Cousin  Fritz,  who  can  crawl  through  cracks 
in  the  floor  or  fly  through  the  ceiling,  stood 
suddenly  by  my  side  and  told  me  to  dry  my 
tears  and  make  ready  to  attend  you.  There 
were  wild  doings  in  the  castle  last  night,  and 
I  sat  with  the  other  women  in  your  apart- 
ments trembling  at  the  awful  sounds  we 
heard.  When  Cousin  Fritz  appeared  and 
told  us  that  you  were  safe,  we  took  him  in 
our  arms  and  kissed  him  until  he  kicked  and 
swore  and  called  us  hard  names.  Then  we 
dropped  the  wicked  little  angel  and  I  got 
a  few  of  your  things  into  a  bundle  and  fol- 
lowed him  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  It 
wasn't  much  fun,  your  highness,  to  creep 
through  the  darkness  with  that  crazy  little 
villain  at  my  side,  laughing  wildly  at  my 
fears  and  pinching  me  now  and  then  to  hear 
me  cry  out  with  fright.  But  when  I  saw  you 
lying  here  alone,  I  felt  that  I  could  hug 
Cousin  Fritz.  His  head  is  queer  enough, 
but  he  has  a  heart  of  gold." 

As  she  thus  talked  on,  while  she  loosened 
the  Princess  Hilda's  hair  and  brushed  out  the 
golden-brown  locks,  the  feeling  of  despair 
that  had  come  over  the  royal  fugitive  de- 
parted. The  princess  was  by  temperament 
a  sanguine,  sunny-natured  girl,  cold  and 
haughty  toward  those  she  coiild  not  trust, 
but  cordially  affectionate  with  her  intimates. 
Her  attendants  had  been  recruited  from  the 
best  families  in  the  kingdom,  and  it  was 
known  throughout  Hesse-Heilfels  that  the 
Princess  Hilda,  in  spite  of  her  proud  bear- 
ing, was  a  very  lovable  creature. 

"  Tell   me,   Gretchen,"  she   said,  glancing 
anxiously  at  Fraulein  Muller,  who  was  at  that 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  199 

moment  spreading  a  morning  dress  upon  the 
bed,  "  tell  me  what  has  happened  up  above? 
Are  the  people — my  people,  as  I  loved  to  call 
them — really  thirsting  for  my  blood?" 

Fraulein  Miiller  laughed  aloud.  She  was 
one  of  those  rare  creatures  whose  gayety 
cannot  be  suppressed  by  the  most  dismal 
surroundings. 

"  It  was  rumored  when  I  came  away,  your 
royal  highness,  that  your  Uncle  Wilhelm 
was  bitterly  disappointed  at  your  disappear- 
ance,. He  is,  it  is  said,  anxious  to  get  word 
to  you  that  his  plans  did  not  include  any 
change  in  your  status  at  court.  He  has 
spread  abroad  the  impression  that  he  has. 
deposed  King  Rudolph  simply  to  save  Hesse- 
Heilfels  from  ruin.  He  has  no  intention,  it. 
is  reported,  of  altering  your  position  in  the 
kingdom.  Somebody  told  me  that  he  had 
made  the  remark  that  your  uncle  would  still 
be  king,  but  sane  instead  of  mad." 

"  Hush,  Fraulein  Miiller,"  said  the  princess 
sternly.  "  These  walls  are  not  to  be  trusted 
— as  I  well  know — and  I  would  not  have  King 
Rudolph  hear  what  you  have  just  said  for 
worlds.  How  little  Uncle  Wilhelm  knows 
my  heart !  King  Rudolph  has  been  to  me  a 
father  since  my  childhood.  Sane  or  mad, 
king  or  exile,  he  deserves  my  loyalty  and 
love.  Listen,  Gretchen !  I  would  die  with 
Rudolph  in  this  rat-hole  sooner  than  return 
to  Wilhelm's  court  and  countenance  his 
treachery  by  silent  acquiescence.  I  have 
striven  to  prevent  this  awful  crisis.  I  have 
labored  to  turn  my  Uncle  Rudolph  from  his 
mad  ways.  I  have  failed.  But  let  it  not  be 
said  that  the  Princess  Hilda  of  Hesse-Heilfels 
changes  her  colors  with  the  fortunes  of  her 


200  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

house.  If  loyalty  to  Rudolph  means  impris- 
onment, or  even  death,  I  shall  follow  his 
banner  to  the  end." 

She  stood  there,  flushed,  defiant,  beautiful, 
her  eyes  dark  with  the  fervor  of  her  passion; 
a  girl  no  longer,  for  the  stern  discipline  of 
evil  fortune  had  made  her  a  woman  in  a 
night.  Never  again  would  her  heart  dance 
merrily  with  the  mere  gayety  of  youth.  She 
had  lost  something  of  the  precious  vivacity 
of  girlhood,  but  in  its  place  had  ccme  the 
strength  and  firmness  that  add  a  touch  of 
grandeur  to  maturity. 

Fraiilein  Miiller  gazed  at  her  mistress  with 
admiration.  Never  before  had  the  maiden 
she  had  served  seemed  so  thoroughly  a  queen 
as  at  this  moment  when  she  stocd,  a  fugitive 
skulking  in  a  cellar,  bereft  of  everything 
that  makes  royalty  impressive,  and  voiced  to 
a  single  listener  the  noblest  sentiments  of 
loyalty.  Above  her  shone  the  bright  light 
of  the  summer  sun,  awakening  a  people  who 
would  gladly  welcome  her  return  to  the  pcmp 
and  state  that  had  been  hers  throughout  her 
life.  Above  her  reigned  a  king  who  would 
place  her  by  his  side  and  reward  her  alle- 
giance to  his  cause  with  power  and  dominion. 
In  contrast  with  all  this,  what  was  offered 
her?  An  existence  of  wretched  discomfort 
in  the  damp  darkness  of  a  rat-haunted  cham- 
ber. A  miserable  present  and  an  uncertain 
future.  The  companionship  of  ruined  men, 
of  a  king  whose  crazy  folly  had  hurled  him 
from  the  pinnacle  of  power  into  the  abysmal 
depths  of  despair  and  ruin.  Here  was  a  girl 
of  eighteen,  upon  whom  nature  had  lavished 
all  her  gifts,  and  to  whom  the  world  bowed 
down  in  loving  homage,  confronted  by  a 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  2OI 

choice  from  which  the  boldest  man  would 
have  shrunk  back  in  dismay.  And  the  Prin- 
cess Hilda  gave  up  the  sunshine  for  the  dark- 
ness, the  light  of  day  for  the  gloom  of  night, 
the  pleasures  of  the  gladsome  world  for  the 
grim  shadows  of  a  living  tomb !  Is  it  strange 
that  in  Hesse-Heilfels  you  should  hear  it  said 
that  in  the  Schwartzburger  blood  there  is  a 
strain  of  heroism  that  breaks  out  now  and 
then,  as  the  generations  come  and  go? 

Something  of  all  this  passed  through  Frau- 
lein  Muller's  mind  as  she  gazed  at  the  prin- 
cess with  eyes  that  looked  upon  her  royal 
mistress  with  new  reverence.  She  bent  for- 
ward and  kissed  Hilda's  hand  with  loving 
deference.  There  were  tears  on  the  Frau- 
lein's  cheeks  as  she  smiled  up  at  her  mis- 
tress, from  whose  face  the  flush  of  excitement 
had  departed. 

"Ah,  Gretchen,"  said  the  princess  wearily, 
"you  must  not  weep!  Surely,  nothing  can 
be  gained  by  tears.  But  to  be  a  woman  is 
so  hard!  How  powerless  we  are!  Oh,  for  a 
man's  arm  to-day,  Gretchen !  Were  I  a  prince, 
do  you  know  what  I  would  do?  If  they  had 
driven  me  down  into  this  hole,  I  would  find 
the  powder  magazine  and  blow  those  rebels 
into  bits." 

Fraulein  Miiller  laughed  merrily.  The  lu- 
dicrous side  of  a  situation  always  appealed 
first  to  her  mind. 

"  Would  it  not  be  a  grim  revenge?"  she 
cried.  "  But  I  fear,  your  highness,  we  would 
not  live  to  enjoy  it." 

At  that  moment  a  knock  at  the  door  re- 
called them  to  the  exigencies  of  the  hour. 
Fraulein  Miiller  ran  merrily  toward  the  en- 
trance. 


202  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

That  she  and  her  mistress  were  not  wholly 
alone  was  a  reassuring  thought. 

"  Who's  there?"  she  cried,  smoothing  back 
her  hair  from  her  brow  and  rearranging  her 
skirts.  The  habits  of  a  court  are  not  quickly 
lost,  even  in  a  cellar. 

"  Cousin  Fritz,  my  Lady  Miiller.  An  envoy 
from  the  reigning  King  of  Heese-Heilfels, 
Rudolph  XII.  I  crave  audience  of  the  Prin- 
cess Hilda." 

Fraulein  Miiller,  smiling  at  the  madcap's 
pompous  words,  threw  back  the  door.  The 
dwarf  instantly  rushed  in,  turned  quickly  and 
pinched  her  arm  with  mischievous  force,  and 
then  hurried  forward,  to  throw  himself  upon 
one  knee  before  the  princess,  the  feather  of 
his  jaunty  cap  trailing  on  the  floor. 

"Your  royal  highness,"  said  he  ceremo- 
niously, his  harsh  voice  penetrating  to  the 
furthest  corners  of  the  room,  "  Your  liege 
lord,  the  King  of  Hesse-Heilfels,  commends 
himself  to  you  with  loving  words  and  com- 
mands your  immediate  presence  in  the  din- 
ing-hall.  Such  is  the  message  he  ordered 
me  to  give  you.  Personally  let  me  add, 
your  royal  highness,  that  this  morning  we 
draw  to  a  full  larder,  and,  if  your  appetite 
is  good,  I  should  advise  you  to  take  a  hand 
in  the  game." 

The  Princess  Hilda  could  not  restrain  a 
smile  at  the  dwarf's  words,  but  she  felt  a 
pang  of  annoyance  at  hearing  again  the 
poker  jargon  that  had  become  synonymous, 
to  her  mind,  with  ruin  and  disgrace. 

"Tell  the  king,  Cousin  Fritz,"  she  said, 
rising  and  moving  toward  the  door,  "  that  I 
will  be  with  him  at  once." 


CHAPTER  X. 

WILHELM  IX.,  King  of  Hesse-Heilfels  by 
the  divine  right  of  grand  larceny,  gazed  from 
a  window  in  the  castle  at  the  rising  sun ;  em- 
blematic, as  he  reflected,  of  himself  and  his 
fortunes.  He  was  a  younger,  better  built 
man  than  his  brother,  Rudolph  the  Deposed. 
His  legs  were  much  longer  than  his  brother's, 
thus  making  his  head  cooler.  There  was  an 
old  saying  in  Hesse-Heilfels  to  the  effect  that 
"a  Schwartzburger  with  short  legs  always 
toddles  into  trouble."  His  superiority  in 
length  of  limb  had  had  much  to  do  toward 
rendering  Wilhelm's  usurpation  successful. 
The  impressionable  and  somewhat  supersti- 
tious people  of  Hesse-Heilfels  possessed  an 
hereditary  conviction  that  the  longer  the  legs 
of  a  Schwartzburger  the  better  fitted  he  was 
to  rule  the  kingdom.  When,  therefore,  it  was 
whispered  that  Wilhelm  plotted  to  seize  the 
sceptre  the  Heilfelsans  were  drawn  irresisti- 
bly to  his  cause.  They  preferred  a  long-legged 
Schwartzburger,  of  good  habits,  as  king,  to 
a  short-legged  gambler  who  was  over-fond  of 
wine. 

Wilhelm's  face,  pale  and  drawn  from  the 
stress  of  an  exciting  night,  wore  a  smile  of 
triumph  as  he  looked  forth  upon  the  pictu- 
resque domain  that  he  had  so  easily  made  his 
own.  Backed  by  the  people  of  Hesse-Heil- 
fels, and  sure  of  recognition  at  Berlin,  he 


204  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

felt  that  he  was  safely  seated  upon  a  throne 
that  he  had  long  wished  to  occupy.  Pres- 
ently he  turned  from  the  window,  and  beck- 
oned to  a  man  who  had  recently  entered  the 
room  and  stood  awaiting  the  pleasure  of 
royalty. 

"  What  news,  Herr  Schmidt?"  asked  Wil- 
helm  eagerly,  "  is  there  any  clew  to  my  lost 
relatives?  My  brother  can't  perform  mir- 
acles. He  must  be  concealed  somewhere 
in  the  castle." 

"  We  have  searched  the  building  from  top 
to  bottom,  your  majesty,  but  can  find  no 
trace  of  Rudolph,  the  Princess,  nor  the 
Yankee.  But  a  strange  story  has  come  from 
the  Princess  Hilda's  waiting-women.  How 
much  truth  there  is  in  it,  I  do  not  know." 

"We'll  find  out  at  first  hand,"  said  King 
Wilhelm,  seating  himself  in  a  chair  by  the 
side  of  a  small  round  table.  "  Summon* all 
her  women  to  my  presence." 

Herr  Schmidt  hurried  from  the  room. 

"  Carl  Eingen,  a  word  with  you,"  said  Wil- 
helm, and  the  handsome  baritone  approached 
the  king  and  deferentially  bent  the  knee. 

"As  I  understand  it,"  said  Wilhelm,  "the 
capture  of  this  American  adventurer  was 
left  to  you,  Carl  Eingen.  Why  did  you  fail 
to  obey  orders?" 

The  tall  youth  turned  pale,  but  answered 
firmly : 

"  The  failure  cannot  be  laid  at  my  door, 
your  majesty.  I  obeyed  in  detail  the  instruc- 
tions I  received.  The  weak  spot  in  our 
scheme  lay  in  the  fact  that  we  put  too  little 
stress  upon  the  cleverness  of  Cousin  Fritz." 

"  Cousin  Fritz?"  cried  the  king  in  astonish- 
ment. "  The  madcap  dwarf?  Surely  he 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  205 

could  not  have  foiled  you  all!  What  had 
he  to  do  with  the  affair?" 

"  An  hour  or  so  before  we  made  the  gen- 
eral advance  upon  the  castle,  your  majesty, 
Cousin  Fritz  was  seen — I  saw  him  myself — 
dancing  wildly  on  the  balcony  in  front  of  the 
American's  apartment.  The  dwarf  is  the 
only  man  in  the  kingdom  who  knows  all  the 
underground  secrets  of  this  ancient  castle.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  has  led  Rudolph  and  the 
rest  to  a  place  of,  at  least,  temporary  secrecy." 

"Just  who  are  missing,  Herr  Eingen?" 
asked  Wilhelm. 

"  Rudolph,  the  Princess  Hilda,  Baron  Wol- 
lenstein,  Count  von  Reibach,  Herr  Bennett, 
and  Cousin  Fritz." 

"That  is  all?" 

"  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  no  one  else  has  dis- 
appeared from  the  castle  since  our  entrance." 

"It  is  strange,"  mused  the  usurper.  "So 
large  a  party,  it  seems  to  me,  could  not  van- 
ish in  one  instant  without  leaving  some  clew 
behind  them.  You  say,  Herr  Eingen,  that 
the  cellars  have  been  thoroughly  explored?" 

"  Yes,  your  majesty.  I  led  the  exploring 
party  myself.  There  is,  beneath  this  castle, 
a  labyrinth  of  passages,  cellars,  dungeons, 
and  lumber  rooms  that  taxed  our  patience 
severely,  but  we  groped  into  every  nook  and 
corner,  and  found  nothing  to  reward  our 
search." 

At  this  moment  Hen  Schmidt  returned, 
followed  by  a  group  of  young  women  whom 
the  events  of  the  night  had  rendered  hysteri- 
cal. At  a  sign  from  Wilhelm,  Herr  Schmidt 
led  his  bevy  of  distraught  maidens  toward 
the  usurper. 

"  Now  understand  me, "said  Wilhelm  stern- 


206  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

ly,  "  I  shall  imprison  you  in  a  body  if  you  all 
insist  upon  talking  at  once.  Furthermore,  I 
object  to  tears.  You  have  nothing  to  cry 
about  if  you  will  obey  your  king.  Do  you 
comprehend  me?  Your  king,  Wilhelm  IX., 
by  the  grace  of  God  monarch  of  Hesse-Heil- 
fels.  You  there,  in  front,  answer  my  ques- 
tions! What  is  this  wonderful  tale  that  I 
hear  has  been  spread  abroad  from  your  cor- 
ner of  the  castle?" 

Carl  Eingen,  his  countenance  disturbed, 
was  anxiously  glancing  from  face  to  face  of 
the  trembling  women,  seeking  some  one  he 
could  not  find.  In  answer  to  Wilhelm,  a 
maiden  standing  nearer  to  royalty  than  the 
others  said,  her  voice  tremulous  with  emo- 
tion: 

"  This  morning,  your  majesty,  about  four 
o'clock,  Cousin  Fritz  suddenly  appeared,  as 
if  by  magic,  among  us.  He  ordered  us  to 
make  a  bundle  of  things  most  necessary  for 
the  Princess  Hilda's  comfort.  Then  he  went 
away,  accompanied  by  her  royal  highness' 
favorite  attendant." 

Carl  Eingen  gazed  at  the  speaker  ear- 
nestly, while  Wilhelm  said: 

"  Her  favorite  attendant?  Who  may  that 
be?" 

"The  Fraulein  Miiller,  your  majesty." 

Carl  Eingen 's  face  turned  white.  He  had 
long  loved  Fraulein  Miiller,  and  her  non- 
attendance  upon  Wilhelm  had  filled  him  with 
dismay.  "  Weren't  you  in  the  cellars  at  that 
hour,  Herr  Eingen?"  asked  Wilhelm  sternly. 

"  I  was,  your  majesty — with  twenty  men 
with  torches." 

"  And  you  heard  no  sound — no  footsteps — 
no  echoes?" 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  2OJ 

"  None,  your  majesty,  that  the  vastness  of 
the  vaults  would  not  explain." 

The  usurper  sat  silent  for  a  time,  deep  in 
thought.  Now  and  again  one  of  the  waiting- 
women  would  sob  hysterically.  Carl  Ein- 
gen's  impatience  grew  apace.  He  longed  for 
action,  for  some  physical  outlet  for  the  anx- 
iety that  oppressed  him.  He  had  seen  little 
of  Fraulein  Miiller  since  she  had  been  taken 
into  the  household  of  the  Princess  Hilda,  but 
his  boyhood  had  been  spent  in  her  compan- 
ionship. He  could  not  remember  the  time 
when  he  had  not  loved  her.  Her  bright  face 
and  sunny  nature  had  been  to  him  for  years 
a  solace  and  a  hope.  That  she  had  been 
lured  into  the  perils  that  surrounded  the  path 
of  the  royal  fugitives,  he  could  not  now 
doubt.  The  conviction  filled  him  with  dis- 
may. He  longed  to  begin  at  once  a  renewal 
of  the  fruitless  search  he  had  made  in  the 
early  morning.  He  watched  the  changing 
expressions  on  Wilhelm's  face  anxiously. 
Presently  the  usurper  spoke : 

"  Come  here,  Herr  Schmidt,"  said  Wilhelm, 
a  cruel  tone  in  his  deep  voice.  "  Seat  your- 
self at  this  table  and  write  as  I  direct.  Are 
you  ready?  Go  on  then.  '  To  the  people 
of  Hesse-Heilfels,  greeting:  I,  Wilhelm  IX., 
by  the  grace  of  God  king  of  Hesse-Heilfels, 
do  call  upon  you  to  render  up  to  me,  dead 
or  alive,  the  person  of  one  Cousin  Fritz,  a 
dwarf,  who  has  held,  under  my  predecessor, 
the  office  of  Court  Jester.  To  the  man  or 
men  who  shall  bring  to  my  castle  the  body 
of  said  Cousin  Fritz  shall  be  paid  the  sum  of 
five  hundred  marks.  Given  under  my  hand 
and  seal,  at  the  castle  of  Heilfels,  this  tenth 
day  of  August,  189-."  There,  I  think  that 


208  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

may  be  effective  in  crushing  out  the  last 
sparks  of  rebellion  in  this  afflicted  land. 
Have  a  hundred  copies  of  that  proclamation 
made  at  once,  Herr  Schmidt.  See  to  it  that 
they  are  exposed  in  every  wine-shop  in  the 
kingdom.  Take  a  few  of  them,  Herr  Ein- 
gen,  and  affix  them  to  the  walls  in  the  most 
remote  corners  of  the  cellars  under  us.  Oh, 
one  moment,  Herr  Schmidt;  add  to  the  proc- 
lamation that  a  full  pardon  will  be  granted 
to  any  one  who  has  been  in  rebellion  against 
Wilhelm  IX.,  in  case  he  aids  in  the  capture 
of  Cousin  Fritz.  That  may  have  an  effect 
upon  Reibach  and  Wollenstein,  if  they  should 
see  the  notice.  As  I  remember  them,  those 
two  men  are  among  the  worst  products 
of  Brother  Rudolph's  worm-eaten  vineyard. 
And  now,  gentlemen,  let  us  break  our  fast. 
Ladies,  I  bid  you  good-morning.  It  is  my 
fondest  hope  that  you  may  have  your  mis- 
tress with  you  again  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment." 

Wilhelm  arose  and  the  audience  was  at  an 
end.  With  a  heavy  heart,  Carl  Eingen  joined 
Herr  Schmidt  and  prepared  for  another  de- 
scent to  the  weird  regions  beneath  the  castle. 
Meanwhile  the  people  of  Hesse-Heilfels  had 
begun  the  day  under  a  new  regime,  and  the 
whisper  went  abroad  throughout  the  king- 
dom that  indulgence  in  the  game  of  draw- 
poker  would  be  construed  as  the  crime  of  lest 
majest^. 


CHAPTER  XL 

CARL  EINGEN  had  searched,  as  he  believed, 
the  most  remote  corner  of  the  wine-cellar. 
He  had  taken  with  him  no  companion  upon 
his  subterranean  bill-posting  expedition,  and, 
courageous  though  he  was,  he  could  not  con- 
trol a  feeling  of  nervous  discomfort  as  he 
fastened  the  grewsome  proclamation  of  King 
Wilhelm  to  what  he  imagined  was  the  last 
outpost  in  this  tortuous  hole  in  the  ground. 
He  had  affixed  type-written  copies  offering  a 
reward  for  the  capture  of  Cousin  Fritz,  dead 
or  alive,  to  wine  casks,  stone  walls,  and 
wooden  pillars  in  various  parts  of  the  cellar, 
and  he  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  at  the 
thought  that  his  grim  task  was  at  an  end. 
Suddenly  a  harsh,  shrill  voice,  just  above  his 
head,  cried  out: 

"  Ha  Carl  Eingen,  I'm  worth  five  hun- 
dred marks,  eh?  I'll  throw  you  double  or 
quits  for  my  body.  What  say  you?" 

Carl  started  in  affright,  and  dropped  the 
hammer  he  held  in  his  hand.  Perched  upon 
a  huge  hogshead  sat  Cousin  Fritz,  his  feath- 
ered cap  upon  his  head,  smiling  down  mis- 
chievously at  the  astonished  youth. 

"  Will  you  come  up  and  take  me?"  asked 
the  dwarf  maliciously,  moving  his  short 
sword  in  the  air  and  then  making  a  few  de- 
fiant passes  at  his  antagonist.  "  Do  you  need 
money,  Carl?  Five  hundred  marks.'  It  is  a 
large  sum." 

14 


210  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

Carl  Eingen  remained  silent,  but  he  could 
not  suppress  a  smile  as  the  ludicrous  features 
of  the  situation  impressed  him.  Suddenly  the 
dwarf's  mood  changed. 

"  You're  a  good  fellow,  Carl  Eingen,  in 
spite  of  your  rebellious  nature,"  he  said 
gently.  "  I  don't  believe  you'd  murder  me 
in  cold  blood.  That's  more  than  I  could  say 
of  several  men  I  know.  As  times  go,  Carl, 
it's  high  praise." 

"  I  think,  Cousin  Fritz,"  said  Carl  quietly, 
"  that  you'd  better  come  with  me  without 
more  ado.  You're  sure  to  be  captured  down 
here  and  you  might  be  run  to  earth  by  some- 
body who  would  think  it  less  trouble  to  take 
you  dead  than  alive.  I  promise  you  that  I'll 
do  my  best  to  make  easy  terms  for  you  with 
the  king." 

"  What  king,  Carl?"  asked  the  dwarf  mock- 
ingly, "  You  may  not  know  it,  but  I  am  the 
real,  the  only  king  of  Hesse-Heilfels.  In  the 
long  run  I  dictate  my  own  terms — and  they 
are  always  accepted,  Carl  Eingen.  Do  you 
call  Brother  Wilhelm  king?  Nonsense!  He's 
only  an  upstart  who  struts  about  up  above 
for  a  time  and  then  falls  to  sleep  like  the 
rest.  Hesse-Heilfels  has  only  one  king — and 
he  never  dies.  But  enough  of  this,  Carl !  I 
won't  come  to  you  and  you  can't  capture  me. 
Nevertheless,  I  prefer  you  as  an  ally  to  a  foe. 
I'll  make  you  a  proposition." 

Carl  Eingen  frowned  and  strode  nervously 
up  and  down,  almost  within  reach  of  the 
dwarf's  pointed  shoes.  He  felt  absurdly  con- 
scious of  his  momentary  impotence.  He  was 
keenly  alive  to  the  possibility  that  he  would 
be  obliged  to  return  to  Wilhelm  and  confess 
that  he  had  been  outwitted  by  the  dwarf. 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  211 

Furthermore,  Cousin  Fritz  was  in  possession 
of  a  secret  that  Carl  Eingen  longed  to  solve. 
Upon  the  hogshead  above  him  sat  the  captor 
of  Fraulein  Miiller,  and  her  lover  burned  to 
get  word  of  her.  He  knew,  right  well,  that 
only  by  diplomacy  could  he  make  Cousin 
Fritz  reveal  the  truth  concerning  her  abduc- 
tion. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Carl  smoothly,  "  let  me  hear 
your  proposition,  Cousin  Fritz." 

The  dwarf  chuckled  with  inward  merri- 
ment. Then  he  bent  forward,  his  hand  still 
upon  his  sword,  and  said: 

"  You  think  me  mad,  Carl  Eingen,  but 
you'd  do  well  to  back  my  hand  at  this  crisis 
in  the  game.  In  this  case  one  king  beats  a 
royal  flush.  I'm  the  king,  and  I  know  my 
power.  Let  me  tell  you,  Carl  Eingen,  that 
you  will  never  see  again  a  face  that  you  love 
nor  hear  a  voice  that  has  grown  dear  to  you 
unless  you  heed  what  I  shall  say.  It  has 
come  to  a  contest  between  your  loyalty  and 
your  love.  If  you  remain  true  to  Wilhelm, 
you  will  be  false  to  your  love.  If  you  place 
your  mistress  above  your  king  in  your  heart, 
you  must  forswear  Wilhelm.  Do  you  follow 
me?" 

There  was  a  sane  intensity  in  the  dwarf's 
manner  that  Carl  Eingen  had  never  observed 
before.  It  impressed  him  even  more  than 
the  madcap's  words. 

"  And  if  I  abandon  Wilhelm,  Cousin  Fritz?" 
asked  Carl  earnestly. 

"  You  shall  see  your  love  again,  Carl  Ein- 
gen." 

"  And  otherwise?" 

"  The  sweet  face  of  Gretchen  Miillershall 
smile  upon  you  only  from  the  shadows 


212  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

of  the  night,  when  memory  haunts  youf 
pillow  and  drives  sleep  routed  from  your 
couch." 

Carl  Eingen  looked  about  him  restlessly. 
The  dark  mysteries  of  this  weird  cellar  ap- 
peared to  cast  upon  him  an  uncanny  spell. 
He  seemed  to  be  plunged  into  a  shadow- 
haunted  realm  in  which  laws  that  were  new 
to  him  prevailed.  The  dwarf,  smiling  with 
conscious  power,  seemed  to  exert  a  hypnotic 
influence  over  the  impressionable  youth, 
whose  artistic  sensibilities  rendered  him  ex- 
tremely sensitive  to  the  influences  of  a  ro- 
mantic environment. 

Furthermore,  the  threat  uttered  by  the 
dwarf  had  had  its  effect.  Carl  Eingen  longed 
passionately  to  gaze  once  more  upon  a  face 
that  had  been  for  years  the  fairest  sight  earth 
held  for  him.  The  possibility — remote  and 
unreasonable  as  it  seemed — that  this  little 
mischief-maker  could  remove  Gretchen  Miil- 
ler  forever  from  his  ken  thrilled  htm  with 
unspeakable  dread.  Instinctively  he  seemed 
to  realize  that  Cousin  Fritz  was  not  wholly 
a  vain  boaster,  that  he  was  not  without  some 
portion  of  the  boundless  power  he  claimed. 

"Well,  Cousin  Fritz,"  said  Carl  at  length, 
his  voice  hoarse  and  unsteady,  "  I  will  go  to 
this  point,  and  no  further.  If  you  will  lead 
me  at  once  to  Fraulein  Miiller,  I  give  you 
my  word  that  I  will  take  no  advantage  of 
what  I  have  learned,  that  neither  Wilhelm 
nor  any  of  his  people  shall  know  that  I  have 
met  you  down  here." 

The  dwarf  laughed  mockingly  and  sprang 
to  the  floor.  "  It's  unconditional  surrender, 
even  on  those  terms,"  he  cried.  "What  I 
have  left  undone,  Fraulein  Miiller  will  ac- 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  J«j» 

complish.  Look  here,  Carl  Eingen!  See 
how  powerless  you  were." 

Cousin  Fritz  skipped  merrily  toward  the 
proclamation  that  offered  a  reward  for  his 
capture.  Removing  it  from  the  wall  he  play- 
fully tore  it  into  small  pieces.  Suddenly,  to 
Carl's  amazement,  a  black  hole  gaped  at 
them  where  the  paper  had  rested  but  a 
moment  before. 

"In  here,  Carl,"  cried  the  dwarf,  scram- 
bling through  the  aperture.  "  You  thought 
you  had  reached  the  end  of  the  cellar.  This 
is  merely  the  entrance,  my  friend." 

For  a  moment  the  youth  hesitated.  When, 
after  much  squeezing  and  a  good  deal  of  dis- 
comfort, he  stood  beside  Cousin  Fritz,  his 
guide's  figure  was  almost  lost  in  the  deep 
gloom. 

"  Come  on,"  said  the  dwarf,  seizing  Carl's 
hand.  "  We  have  not  far  to  go ;  we  are  tak- 
ing a  short  cut  to  my  apartments — the  real 
centre  of  royalty  in  Hesse-Heilfels." 

A  moment  later  they  stepped  out  into  a 
passageway  that  soon  led  them  to  the  main 
entrance  of  the  rooms  in  which  the  dwarf 
had  ensconced  Rudolph  XI.  and  his  small 
suite.  Cautiously  opening  the  heavy  door, 
Cousin  Fritz  tightly  gripped  Carl  Eingen's 
arm  and  silently  pointed  to  the  scene  before 
them. 

In  the  centre  of  the  hall  the  deposed  king 
was  seated  at  a  table,  at  the  opposite  side  of 
which  Count  von  Reibach  shuffled  a  pack  of 
cards.  Between  them  were  small  piles  of 
pebbles  that  roughly  served  as  chips.  Baron 
Wollenstein,  with  a  surly  expression  upon 
his  heavy  face,  appeared  to  watch  the  game, 
but  his  restless  eyes  constantly  turned  tow- 


214  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

ard  a  group  at  the  farther  corner  of  the  room. 
The  Princess  Hilda,  attended  by  Fraulein 
Miiller,  was  seated  in  an  antique  chair  of 
state,  against  the  back  of  which  her  head 
rested  as  she  gazed  upward  at  Herr  Bennett. 
The  American,  oblivious  of  the  threatening 
glances  of  Baron  Wollenstein,  was  bending 
forward  talking  earnestly  to  the  golden- 
haired  princess.  A  smile  played  across  her 
face  as  she  listened  to  his  words. 

"  There,  Carl  Eingen,"  whispered  the  dwarf 
mischievously,  "  is  the  game  as  it  stands. 
Will  you  draw  cards?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  youth  hoarsely  as  he 
met  the  eye  of  Fraulein  Mu'ller,  who  turned 
white  with  amazement  as  she  caught  sight  of 
him. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THERE  was  nothing  in  the  topic  upon  which 
Bennett  was  discoursing  to  the  Princess  Hilda 
to  arouse  the  jealousy  of  Baron  Wollenstein. 
The  American  was  speaking  eloquently,  but 
impersonally,  of  his  native  land.  The  events 
of  the  night  and  the  ominous  inaction  of  the 
morning  had  rendered  the  princess  a  willing 
listener  to  the  voice  of  a  man  to  whom,  she 
felt,  she  had  shown  great  injustice.  Woman- 
like, having  reached  the  conclusion  that  she 
had  not  treated  him  with  fairness,  she  now 
went  to  the  extreme  of  trusting  Bennett 
fully.  Her  discovery  of  the  utter  baseness 
of  Wollenstein  and  von  Reibach  added  to  the 
longing  she  felt  to  prove  that  the  American 
was  not  unworthy  of  her  regard. 

"It  is  true,"  said  Bennett  smilingly,  "that 
my  beautiful  country  is  not  made  pictur- 
esque by  antique  castles,  but,  your  Royal 
Highness,  you  must  admit  that  I  have  no 
cause  to  hold  it  in  contempt  for  that  reason." 
He  glanced  around  the  gloomy  apartment 
meaningly. 

The  princess  understood  him,  and  her  eyes 
were  sympathetic  as  they  met  his.  "  But  an 
old  castle  has  its  advantages,"  she  remarked, 
with  forced  gayety.  "  It  is  crystallized  his- 
tory, is  it  not?  Furthermore,  it  may  offer  a 
place  of  refuge  in  time  of  trouble." 

"Ah,"  said  Bennett,  loyal  to  his  American 


2l6  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

prejudices,  "  that  is  just  the  point.  In  my 
country,  we  need  no  underground  cellars  to 
escape  the  wrath  of  man.  We  use  them  for 
another  purpose.  But  don't  think  me  nar- 
row-minded, Your  Highness.  I  appreciate 
the  advantages  your  country  offers  to  the 
tourist,  to  the  lover  of  romance,  but,  as  a 
place  of  residence,  I  must  admit  that  I  prefer 
Litchfield  County  to  Hesse-Heilfels." 

The  Princess  Hilda  sat  silent  for  a  mo- 
ment. Her  mind  dwelt  upon  the  ruin  this 
man  had  wrought  in  the  land  she  loved. 
She  had  been  forced  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  disaster  he  had  brought  to  Hesse-Heilfels 
had  been  the  outcome  not  of  malice,  but  of 
mischance.  Nevertheless,  he  had  been  the 
motive  force,  at  the  outset,  that  had  over- 
thrown the  regime  of  which  she  was  a  part. 
How  far  was  it  becoming  for  her  to  accept 
his  friendship?  She  could  not  answer.  Of 
her  own  free-will  she  had  thrown  down  the 
barrier  between  them,  and  it  was  too  late, 
perhaps,  to  reconstruct  it. 

The  Princess  Hilda  was  only  eighteen 
years  of  age.  The  full  significance  of  the 
political  revolution  of  which  she  was  a  vic- 
tim had  not  yet  come  to  her.  Had  she  pos- 
sessed a  wider  and  deeper  experience  of  the 
ways  of  the  world,  the  embarrassments  that 
surrounded  her  would  have  impressed  her 
more  deeply.  But  she  was  very  young,  and, 
it  is  the  peril  and  the  privilege  of  youth  to 
make  light  of  difficulties  that  appear  insuper- 
able to  the  eyes  of  maturity.  Furthermore, 
the  princess  was  undergoing  a  novel  experi- 
ence that  possessed  for  her  a  dangerous  fas- 
cination. The  rigid  etiquette  of  the  old- 
fashioned  court  in  which  she  had  spent  her 


A    PRINCESS   OK    THE    RHINE.  217 

girlhood  had  precluded  the  possibility  of 
frank  and  sympathetic  intercourse  with  young 
men.  An  American  girl  of  eighteen  is  apt 
to  be  as  wise  as  a  serpent,  though  harmless 
as  a  dove.  She  is  sure  of  herself.  She  takes 
pride  in  the  conviction  that  she  understands 
men.  What  she  has  failed  to  learn  of  the 
peculiarities  of  human  nature  from  experi- 
ence, she  has  derived  from  literature  and  the 
drama.  She  makes  her  debut  in  society  a 
full-fledged  woman  of  the  world.  If  she  is 
clever,  her  epigrams  are  as  pointed  at  eigh- 
teen as  they  will  be  at  twenty-eight. 

But  a  German  princess  develops  more 
slowly.  She  is  hedged  around  by  safeguards 
erected  on  the  theory  that  there  should  be 
no  royal  road  to  worldliness.  She  is  mould- 
ed by  ceremonies  and  fashioned  by  prece- 
dents. She  is  deprived  by  birth  of  the  divino 
right  to  choose  a  husband.  At  eighteen  she 
has  become  merely  a  more  or  less  ornamen- 
tal piece  in  a  royal  game  of  chess.  The 
American  girl  of  the  same  age  is  years  older 
than  the  German  princess. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined,  however,  that 
Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett  found  the  Prin- 
cess Hilda  of  Hesse-Heilfels  too  young  and 
unsophisticated  to  be  interesting.  While  her 
recent  experiences  may  not  have  assumed  in 
her  mind  their  ultimate  significance,  they 
had  had,  neverthless,  a  marked  effect  in 
changing  her  mental  attitude  toward  many 
subjects.  At  one  blow  she  had  been  thrust 
into  an  entirely  new  relationhip  to  the  uni- 
verse at  large.  Heretofore,  she  had  been  led 
to  believe  that  the  sun  rose  and  set  merely 
for  her  own  royal  pleasure  and  profit.  Sud- 
denly even  the  light  of  that  luminary  had 


2l8  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

been  denied  to  her.  The  immediate  effect 
of  this  deprivation  had  been  educational.  For 
the  first  time  in  her  life  she  had  been  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  fact  that  royalty  itself 
is  subject  to  the  chastisement  that  fate  so 
freely  bestows  upon  lesser  mortals. 

"  Tell  me,  Herr  Bennett,"  she  said  after  a 
time,  glancing  significantly  at  the  poker- 
players  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  "  what  will 
be  the  outcome  of  all  this?  We  can't  live 
here  all  our  days.  I  should  become  an  old 
woman  in  a  year  if  I  could  never  see  the  sun, 
never  hear  the  wind  among  the  trees." 

A  smile  played  across  her  shapely  mouth, 
but  her  eyes  were  sad  as  they  looked  up  at 
the  pale,  handsome  face  above  her. 

"  Do  you  know,  your  royal  highness,"  said 
Bennett,  lowering  his  voice,  confidentially, 
"  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  so- 
lution of  the  puzzle  rests  with  Cousin  Fritz. 
It  is  a  novel  experience  for  me  to  suspend 
my  own  judgment  and  trust  to  another  man 
to  get  me  out  of  difficulties,  but  the  little 
madcap's  cleverness  and  loyalty  have  had  a 
hypnotic  effect  upon  my  will.  More  and  more 
do  I  find  myself  inclined  to  follow  his  lead, 
to  await  his  commands,  and  to  trust  to  his  in- 
genuity to  get  us  out  of  this  amazing  scrape." 

The  Princess  Hilda  assented.  "  Cousin 
Fritz,"  she  said,  "has  become,  I  fear,  our 
only  hope.  What  he  can  do  for  us  now  I 
can't  imagine,  but,  Herr  Bennett,  there  is 
some  satisfaction  in  the  thought  that  we  can 
never  be  worse  off  than  we  are  at  present." 

The  American  uttered  a  few  words  of  per- 
functory acquiescence.  He  envied  her  the 
undismayed  optimism  of  extreme  youth. 
The  conviction  had  come  upon  him  that  they 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  2 IQ 

might  easily  be  placed  in  a  more  undesirable 
position  than  they  occupied  at  that  moment. 

"  Herr  Bennett,"  said  the  princess,  a  slight 
flush  of  embarrassment  coming  into  her 
cheeks.  "  I  was  pleased  to  hear  you  speak 
so  kindly  of  Cousin  Fritz,  but  let  me  urge 
you  to  beware  of  the  others.  Cousin  Fritz 
is  your  friend.  The  others  hate  you." 

Bennett  smiled  gently.  "  Thank  you  for 
your  warning,  Princess  Hilda.  I  know  well 
that  they  seek  my  life.  But  I  have  no  fear 
of  them.  Some  years  ago,  your  royal  high- 
ness, I  was  mining  in  Colorado,  and. — 

It  was  many  a  long  day  before  the  Princess 
Hilda  heard  the  conclusion  of  the  anecdote 
Bennett  was  about  to  relate.  Something  in 
her  face  had  caused  him  to  turn  and  glance 
toward  the  entrance.  He  caught  a  glimpse 
of  Cousin  Fritz  making  a  gesture  toward 
them,  and  then  his  eyes  rested  in  dismay 
upon  the  tall,  martial  figure  of  Carl  Eingen. 

"  Good  God,  we  are  betrayed !"  exclaimed 
Bennett,  stepping  forward  and  placing  his 
hand  upon  the  handle  of  his  revolver. 

At  that  instant  a  groan,  wrung  from  a 
strong  man  in  physical  agony,  arose  from 
the  centre  of  the  room,  and  King  Rudolph, 
who  had  sprung  up  from  the  poker  table  as 
Fritz  and  Carl  appeared  at  the  doorway,  fell 
senseless  into  the  arms  of  Baron  Wollenstein. 

"  Put  up  your  pistol,  Herr  Bennett,"  piped 
Cousin  Fritz,  excitedly.  "  This  man  is  our 
friend.  Here,  put  the  king  on  this  couch ! 
Get  some  wine,  Fraulein  Miiller.  Hurry. 
Baron  WoUenstein,  put  his  head  down! 
There!  Are  you  all  paralyzed?  Can't  you 
make  haste?  Will  you  take  a  bluff  from  death? 
I  won't.  There,  see !  Cousin  Rudolph  opens 


220  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

his  eyes!  Give  him  wine!  That's  right! 
He'll  be  every  inch  a  king  before  long! 
Come,  now,  stand  back  and  let  him  sleep! 
That's  right.  Sleep,  Rudolph !  Sleep !" 

Without  dissent  or  hesitation  they  had  all 
obeyed  the  dwarf's  directions  to  the  letter, 
and  as  they  stood  grouped  around  the  couch, 
upon  which  Rudolph  lay  breathing  stertor- 
ously,  the  thought  suddenly  flashed  through 
their  minds,  in  sympathetic  accord  for  the 
moment,  that  Cousin  Fritz  was  no  vain 
boaster  when  he  claimed  to  be  the  real  ruler 
of  Hesse-Heilfels. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TRANKLY,  your  royal  highness,"  said 
Herr  Bennett  to  the  princess  fifteen  minutes 
later,  "  there  are  symptoms  in  the  case  that 
worry  me.  At  first,  I  thought  his  majesty 
was  attacked  by  a  simple  fainting  fit,  caused 
by  his  sudden  rising  at  the  table.  His  breath- 
ing, however,  and  other  indications  lead  me 
to  believe  that  he  is  in  a  very  precarious  con- 
dition." 

They  stood  together  apart,  while  Fraulein 
Miiller  and  Carl  Eingen,  conversing  in  low 
whispers,  watched  beside  the  prostrated  king. 

Count  von  Reibach  and  Baron  Wollen- 
stein,  not  unnoticed  by  Cousin  Fritz,  had 
left  the  apartment  together. 

"We  must  have  a  talk  at  once,  Count," 
Wollenstein  had  said  to  his  fellow-conspi- 
rator. "  Come  into  the  cellars  with  me.  We 
won't  be  missed  at  this  moment."  Unknown 
to  them,  the  dwarf  had  stolen  into  the  dark 
vaults  by  their  side  so  close  to  them  that  he 
could  hear  every  word  they  said. 

"  Is  he  hard  hit.  Baron?"  asked  Count  von 
Reibach.  "  It  looks  to  me  like  apoplexy." 

"I  think  it  is,"  answered  Wollenstein,  tak- 
ing his  companion  by  the  arm  and  groping 
toward  a  better  lighted  portion  of  the  cellar 
that  lay  beyond  them.  "  He's  been  a  sick 
man  for  some  time  back,  Count.  I'm  in- 


222  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

dined  to  think  that  the  suddenness  of  his 
overthrow  has  precipitated  an  attack  that 
could  not  have  been  long  delayed." 

"  And  what,  to  your  mind,  is  our  best  play 
at  this  juncture,  Baron?"  asked  von  Reibach 
impressively.  The  serious  nature  of  the 
crisis  that  confronted  them  had  suddenly 
broken  upon  his  not  very  active  mind.  His 
companion  made  no  answer,  but  stood  still, 
his  head  turned  to  one  side. 

"  The  very  thing,"  whispered  Wollenstein 
hoarsely.  "Read  that,  Count!  How  it  got 
here  I  can't  imagine,  but  it's  a  wonderful 
stroke  of  luck  at  this  juncture." 

Count  von  Reibach  followed  his  compan- 
ion's gaze  and  saw  before  them  a  type-written 
placard,  the  contents  of  which  the  reader  has 
already  learned. 

The  count  indulged  in  a  weak  whistle  to 
relieve  his  astonishment.  "  Dead  or  alive !" 
he  exclaimed.  "  It  ought  to  be  easy,  Baron. 
I  could  put  the  dwarf  in  my  pocket — if  I 
could  get  my  hands  on  him." 

Wollenstein  grunted  deprecatingly,  "  We 
cannot  afford  to  take  any  chances,  Count," 
he  said  emphatically.  "  We  are  in  a  des- 
perate position.  Our  heads  are  forfeit  to  the 
state  unless  we  can  take  our  fatted  calf  with 
us  when  we  go  above  as  returning  prodigals. 
It's  all  very  well  to  talk  about  capturing  the 
dwarf  alive,  but  you  can't  catch  rats  in  this 
infernal  cellar  by  chasing  them.  Our  only 
chance  lies  in  seizing  Cousin  Fritz  and  ren- 
dering all  opportunity  of  escape  impossible 
at  one  stroke.  It's  easily  done.  Let  me  get 
hold  of  the  little  imp  once  and  Wilhelm  shall 
have  a  court  jester,  dead  or  alive,  as  the  case 
may  be."  There  was  a  cruel  menace  in  the 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE    RHINE.  223 

baron's  voice  that  was  carefully  noted  by  a 
dwarfish  eavesdropper. 

"  What  was  that?"  asked  the  count,  starting 
nervously  and  gazing  into  the  shadows  with 
straining  eyes. 

"  Ach  Gott!  Are  you  scared  by  rats?" 
muttered  the  baron  sarcastically.  "  Now 
come  to  the  point,  Count!  Do  you  under- 
stand me?  We  must  act,  and  act  immedi- 
ately. Our  only  hope  lies  in  the  capture  of 
the  dwarf.  We  must  set  about  it  at  once, 
and  take  him — dead  or  alive." 

"  Yes,  dead  or  alive,"  repeated  Count  von 
Reibach  mechanically,  seizing  his  compan- 
ion's arm  and  turning  to  retrace  his  steps. 

There  came  a  snapping  sound,  as  though  a 
trap  had  been  sprung  somewhere  in  the  dark- 
ness. The  floor  slipped  away  in  creaking 
grooves  and  at  the  edge  of  the  abyss  stood 
Cousin  Fritz,  smiling  maliciously  as  he  gazed 
down  into  the  blackness.  A  dull  sound,  as  if 
huge  rubber  balls  had  struck  the  centre  of 
the  earth,  came  up  through  the  grewsome 
hole. 

"Two  of  a  kind!"  cried  the  madman,  in  a 
shrill,  penetrating  voice.  "  Two  of  a  kind — 
and  I've  discarded  them !" 

He  whistled  gayly  as  he  scurried  back  tow- 
ard his  apartments.  Now  and  then  he  would 
break  into  song  and  his  keen  voice  would 
startle  the  bats  from  slumber  in  the  further- 
most recesses  of  the  great  vaults. 

"  Two  of  a  kind !  Two  of  a  kind !  Two  of 
a  kind!"  he  cried  with  hysterical  energy  now 
and  again.  "  Two  of  a  kind,  but  a  very  small 
pair!  Ha,  ha!  I  had  no  use  for  two  of  a 
kind,  two  of  a  kind,  two  of  a  kind !" 

Suddenly  he  stood  still  and  listened  in- 


224  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

tently.  "  The  King  is  dead,  long  live  the 
King!"  he  shouted,  and  the  cellar  re-echoed 
the  weird  cry.  "The  King  is  dead!  Live 
the  King!" 

At  that  moment  Bennett  had  placed  a  de- 
taining hand  upon  the  Princess  Hilda's  arm. 
The  cumulative  force  of  the  adventures 
through  which  they  had  passed  together  had 
rendered  ceremoniousness  out  of  place  at 
this  juncture. 

"  The  need  of  aid  from  above  has  passed, 
your  highness,"  said  Bennett  gently.  "  I 
beg  you  to  remain  here.  The  King  is " 

"  Is  dead,"  added  the  princess  sadly. 

At  that  instant  far  down  the  cellar  they 
heard  the  dwarf's  voice  crying  shrilly :  "  The 
King  is  dead !  Live  the  King !" 

Bennett  gazed  at  the  princess  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"  'Tis  Cousin  Fritz's  voice.  But  how  did  he 
know?  How  did  he  know?" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"  ARE  you  very  tired,  your  highness?" 

Bennett  peered  down  at  the  pale  face  at 
his  side.  He  held  a  candle  in  his  hand  as 
they  groped  slowly  forward  in  a  tunnel  that 
Cousin  Fritz  ascribed  to  the  Romans.  Be- 
yond them  gleamed  another  unsteady  light, 
carried  by  Carl  Eingen.  Now  and  then  they 
could  hear  a  penetrating  voice  raised  in  song 
or  lowered  in  soliloquy  as  Cousin  Fritz 
guided  them  toward  their  goal. 

The  Princess  Hilda  and  Fraulein  Miiller 
had  laid  aside  their  court  attire  and  had 
donned  peasant  costumes,  of  a  very  antique 
cut,  which  Cousin  Fritz  had  obtained  from 
his  collection  of  old-fashioned  trumpery,  a 
collection  from  which  the  social  history  of 
Hesse-Heilfels  for  several  generations  could 
have  been  reconstructed  by  an  imaginative 
writer. 

The  princess  looked  up  at  Bennett,  a  merry 
gleam  in  her  dark  blue  eyes : 

"I'm  tired,  yes;  but  not  of  action.  lam 
weary  of  imprisonment.  I  long  to  reach  the 
end  of  this  tunnel.  I  feel  as  though  I  were 
approaching  the  sunlight  after  being  buried 
alive  for  centuries." 

"But,  tell  me,"  he  persisted,  his  voice  low 
and  vibrant,  "  will  you  never  regret  your  de- 
cision? Think  of  what  you  have  given  up. 
When  you  donned  that  peasant's  dress  you 


226  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

laid  aside  a  future  that  shone  with  the  splen- 
dors of  high  state.  That  simple  cap  upon 
your  head  replaces  a  queen's  diadem.  The 
sacrifice,  your  highness,  is  more  than  I  can 
ask." 

"  Why  will  you  tease  me?"  she  cried  with 
petulant  playfulness.  "  When  I  put  off  my 
court  dress,  I  gave  up  forever  the  title  of 
'your  highness.'  What  has  that  title  brought 
to  me?  Nothing  but  weariness  and  pain." 

Just  beyond  them  she  could  see  Carl  Ein- 
gen  with  his  arm  around  the  waist  of  Frau- 
lein  Miiller.  "  Do  you  think,"  asked  Hilda, 
her  eyes  dancing  as  they  met  Bennett's,  "  do 
you  think  that  Gretchen  would  wish  to  re- 
turn to  my  court  with  the  knowledge  that 
Carl  Eingen  was  forever  an  exile  from  the 
kingdom?" 

Bennett  trembled  with  a  sensation  of 
ecstatic  triumph.  His  mind  recalled  the 
thought  that  had  inspired  him  when  he  fol- 
lowed the  Princess  Hilda  into  the  cellar  on 
the  night  of  the  king's  overthrow.  In  this 
subterranean  realm  there  would  be  no  kings 
and  princesses.  They  would  all  be  fugitives, 
placed  upon  a  plane  of  equality  by  the  level- 
ling power  of  misfortune.  Beyond  his  wild- 
est dreams,  that  thought  had  been  prophetic. 
By  no  conscious  effort  upon  his  part,  he  had 
won  the  confidence,  perhaps  the  love,  of  this 
woman  at  his  side.  The  hand  of  sorrow  had 
laid  its  grip  upon  her  young  heart,  and  in  the 
hour  of  her  misfortune  she  had  looked  at  life 
with  eyes  that  saw  all  things  from  a  new 
point  of  view. 

" It  is  strange, "she  whispered  as  they  stole 
forward  through  the  damp  and  narrow  pas- 
sageway, "  it  is  strange  that  I  should  feel  for 


A    PRINCESS   OF    THE   RHINE.  227 

my  old  life  no  regret,  no  desire  to  return  to 
the  tawdry  glories  of  a  court.  But  do  you 
know,  Herr  Bennett,  I  feel  that  I  would 
rather  die  in  this  old  cellar  than  go  back  to 
my  people,  to  be  stared  at  by  the  gaping 
crowds,  to  hear  the  murmur  of  their  sense- 
less chatter  as  they  told  each  other  the  tale 
of  my  burial  and  resurrection.  Ugh !  The 
very  thought  of  it  is  horrible." 

They  hurried  on  in  silence  for  a  time. 

"I  shall  live  with  Carl  and  Gretchen,"  she 
said  musingly,  when  they  had  turned  a  cor- 
ner in  the  tunnel  and  had  again  caught  sight 
of  the  candle  in  Eingen's  hand.  "We  will 
go  to  some  quiet  spot  and  till  the  soil  and 
forget  the  treachery  that  drove  us  from  our 
fatherland.  I  shall  be  happy  in  their  happi- 
ness— and  forget — forget — forget !" 

Bennett  bent  down  until  his  face  almost 
touched  hers. 

"You  must  not  forget,"  he  whispered, 
"  that  there  lives  a  man  whose  only  wish  on 
earth  is  to  know  that  your  heart  is  light,  that 
your  eyes  are  bright  with  the  joy  of  life,  that 
no  shadows  fall  across  your  path." 

Suddenly  through  the  tunnel  came  the 
shrill  voice  of  the  dwarf,  chanting  mischiev- 
ously the  refrain,  "  Two  of  a  kind."  Then  a 
mocking  laugh  followed  the  words  into  the 
echoing  vaults  far  behind  the  fugitives. 

The  Princess  Hilda  shuddered,  and  placed 
a  light  hand  upon  Bennett's  arm. 

"  Do  you  know  what  he  did  to  them?"  she 
asked  nervously. 

"He  won't  tell  me,"  answered  Bennett; 
"all  that  he  will  say  is  that  they  were  'a 
small  pair'  and  he  'discarded'  them." 

Again  the  princess  shuddered,  and  quick- 


228  KINGS   IN    ADVERSITY. 

ened  her  steps.  Suddenly  the  candle  carried 
by  Carl  Eingen  flickered  vigorously,  and  al- 
most succumbed  to  a  damp  draught.  The 
princess  glanced  up  at  Bennett  joyfully. 

"Look  at  Carl's  candle,"  she  exclaimed. 
"  Do  you  know  what  that  means,  Herr  Ben- 
nett? We  are  near  the  entrance,  or  rather, 
the  exit  to  the  tunnel.  The  Rhine,  Herr 
Bennett,  the  dear,  old  Rhine  is  waiting  to 
take  us  to  its  heart." 

Her  voice  trembled  with  excitement  and 
she  stumbled  as  she  darted  ahead.  By  a  quick 
movement  Bennett's  arm  caught  her  as  she 
fell  forward.  Forgetful  of  everything  but 
his  burning  love,  he  held  her  pressed  against 
him  as  he  rained  passionate  kisses  upon  her 
lips  and  cheeks. 

"  I  love  you,  Hilda,  I  love  you !  I  love  you !" 
he  whispered  wildly.  "You  are  my  queen! 
my  queen !  Do  not  tremble  so !  See,  I  will 
be  gentle!  Just  one  more  kiss,  my  darling! 
One  more  kiss!  One  more  kiss!" 

"  Two  of  a  kind,  two  of  a  kind,  two  of  a 
kind,"  cried  a  harsh  voice,  close  at  hand. 
"  There,  Carl  Eingen,  is  the  river,  and  here's 
the  boat !  JPull  it  up  close  to  the  wall.  That's 
right  Ha,  ha!  I  must  discard  again!  This 
time  it's  two  pair!  Two  pair!  Ha,  ha!" 

Carl  Eingen  had  entered  the  flat-bottomed 
boat  and  had  placed  the  oars  in  the  rowlocks, 
after  seating  Fraulein  Muller  in  the  stern. 

The  Princess  Hilda  and  Herr  Bennett  stood 
upon  the  stone-work  that  jutted  out  from  the 
tunnel's  opening.  The  breeze  that  swept 
across  the  bosom  of  the  Rhine  caressed  their 
cheeks  and  made  free  with  Hilda's  golden 
locks.  Behind  them  stood  Cousin  Fritz,  cap 
in  hand,  as  though  he  did  the  honors  of  his 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  229 

mansion  to  home-going  guests.  Bennett  gave 
his  hand  to  the  princess  and  she  seated  her- 
self by  Fraulein  Miiller's  side. 

"  Come,  Cousin  Fritz,"  cried  Bennett,  his 
voice  vibrant  with  the  joy  that  filled  his  soul, 
"into  the  boat!  Quick!  We  can  afford  to 
take  no  risks — Wilhelm's  sentinel  may  have 
sharp  eyes.  Quick,  I  say !" 

Cousin  Fritz  stepped  back  into  the  tunnel. 
His  small,  white  wizened  face  became  a 
ghostly  vision  against  the  black  depths  be- 
hind him. 

"  Farewell,"  he  cried  in  his  thin,  mocking 
voice,  "  farewell !  My  kingdom  needs  its 
king,  and  I  return !  Remember  Cousin  Fritz, 
King  of  Hesse-Heilfels  for  a  thousand  years! 
Farewell !" 

Bennett  pushed  the  boat  into  the  current 
and  jumped  aboard.  With  powerful  strokes 
Carl  Eingen  urged  the  clumsy  craft  toward 
the  centre  of  the  stream.  Suddenly  across 
the  black  waste  of  waters  between  them  and 
the  shore  came  a  piercing  voice  as  they  heard 
the  disjointed  words: 

"Two  pair!  Discard  two  pair!  Draw  to 
kings!  Ha,  ha!  Draw  to  kings!  Ha,  hal" 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SEPTEMBER  in  the  Berkshire  hills  makes 
Litchfield,  Connecticut,  an  attractive  place 
to  people  of  leisure  who  like  to  watch  nature 
as  she  doffs  her  summer  garb  of  green  and 
yellow  and  dons  the  purple  and  scarlet  rai- 
ment that  autumn  provides  for  her. 

Upon  the  broad  piazza  of  a  hotel  command- 
ing a  wide  view  of  a  hill  country  unrivalled  for 
beauty  in  the  new  world  sat  several  men  and 
women  indulging  in  the  idle  gossip  that  falls 
from  the  lips  of  people  who  have  nothing 
more  serious  confronting  them  than  a  game 
of  golf  or  a  drive  through  the  woods. 

"  Anything  interesting  in  the  Trumpet, 
Hal?"  asked  a  youth,  attired  in  a  most  un- 
becoming golf  costume,  glancing  at  a  young 
man  who  held  in  his  hands  a  copy  of  the 
latest  issue  of  Litchfield's  weekly  news- 
paper. 

"  Calvin  Johnson  has  put  a  new  coat  of 
paint  on  his  barn, "answered  the  news-reader 
solemnly.  "  Mrs.  Rogers  spent  Sunday  with 
friends  in  Roxbury." 

"  Oh,  stop  it,  Hal,"  cried  a  vivacious  young 
woman,  putting  up  her  hand  imperiously. 
"  You'll  drive  us  all  away  if  you  keep  on." 

"  Wait  a  moment !  Let  me  read  you  some- 
thing of  more  interest,"  said  the  young  man 
with  the  newspaper  impressively.  "  This  is 
the  piece  de  resistance  of  the  week's  Trumpef: 


A    PRINCESS    OF    THE    RHINE.  231 

"  'We  take  pleasure  in  informing  our  read- 
ers that  Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett,  an  old 
resident  of  Litchfield,  has  returned  from  a 
long  sojourn  in  Europe  and  has  reopened  the 
Bennett  homestead  on  Main  Street.  Mr.  Ben- 
nett is  accompanied  by  his  wife.  Rumor 
has  it  that  Mrs.  Bennett  is  a  daughter  of  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  aristocratic  families 
in  central  Europe.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bennett  are 
entertaining  their  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ein- 
gen,  of  Germany,  who  will  remain  in  Litch- 
field until  late  in  the  fall.  The  Trumpet  is 
informed  that  Mr.  Bennett  will  take  up  his 
residence  permanently  in  Litchfield.  It  is 
understood  that  he  will  devote  much  time  to 
politics.  We  congratulate  our  fellow-towns- 
men upon  Mr.  Bennett's  return  to  his  native 
heath  and  take  pleasure  in  bidding  him  wel- 
come.'" 

"  That  explains  it,  then !"  exclaimed  the 
vivacious  young  woman  excitedly,  "  That 
must  have  been  Mrs.  Bennett  we  saw  yester- 
day, Marion.  She  is  really  a  beautiful  wo- 
man, with  magnificent  golden  hair  and  the 
dearest  blue  eyes!  She's  a  perfect  love! 
Isn't  she,  Marion?" 

"  She  is,  indeed,"  answered  the  girl  ap- 
pealed to. 

"  Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett,"  repeated 
one  of  the  men  who  had  listened  to  the 
Trumpet's  choice  tid-bit.  "  He  was  in  my 
class  at  Yale.  A  clever  fellow,  but  restless. 
They  used  to  say  of  him  that  he  would  be 
famous  or  a  failure  before  he  had  been  out 
in  the  world  five  years." 

"  And  has  he  been  a  success?"  drawled  the 
youth  in  the  golf  suit. 

"  Of   course   he   has,"  cried   the  vivacious 


23*  KINGS    IN    ADVERSITY. 

young  woman,  "  hasn't  he  married  a  beautiful 
girl  with  golden  hair  and  blue  eyes?  Surely, 
he  could  ask  nothing  better  of  life  than  that." 
Could  Jonathan  Edwards  Bennett  have 
heard  these  words  he  would  have  acknowl- 
edged that  the  vivacious  young  woman  spoke 
the  truth. 


THE   END. 


Neely's  Popular  Library. 

Paper        .        Twenty-five  Cents. 


ODD  FOLKS.    By  Opie  Read. 

A  MOUNTAIN  OF  GOLD.    By  Willis  Steell. 

ON£:  OF  EARTH'S  DAUGHTERS.   Ellen  Robert!. 

THE  PASSING  OF  ALIX.    By  Mrs.  Marjorie  Paul. 

LUNAR  CAUSTIC.     By  Charles  H.  Robinson. 

THE  PALMETTO.     By  F.  S.  Heffernan. 

IMOLA.    By  F.  S.  Heffernan. 

UTOPIA.     By  Frank  Rosewater. 

BLACK  FRIDAY.    By  Thomas  B.  Connery. 

ALL  THE  DOG'S  FAULT.     By  Thos.  B.  Connery. 

THE  MALACHITE  CROSS.    By  Frank  Norton. 

A  FASCINATING  SINNER.    By  Delta. 

HYPNOTISM.    By  Jules  Claretie. 

KERCHIEFS  TO  HUNT  SOULS.    Amelia  Fytche^ 

±'HE   FORTUNES  OF  MARGARET  WELD. 

By  S.  M.  H.  G. 

A  JOURNEY   TO  VENUS.    By  G.  W.  Pope. 
PAOLA  CORLETTI.    By  Alice  Howard  Hilton. 
TWO  STRANGE  ADVENTURERS.    By  Cornwall!*. 
MY   SPANISH  SWEETHEART.    By  F.  A.  Ober. 
THE  CAPTAIN'S  ROMANCE.     By  Opie  Read 
THE  ADOPTED   DAUGHTER.    By  Fawcett. 
TOM  BROWN23  SCHOOL  DAYS.     By  Hughes. 
KIDNAPPED.     By  R  L.  Stevenson. 
MICAH  CLARKE.     By  A.  Conan  Doyle. 
THE   SIGN  OF  THE  FOUR.     By  Doyle. 
SPORT  ROYAL.     By  Anthony  Hope. 
FATHER  STAFFORD.    By  Anthony  Hope. 
THE   BONDMAN.     By  Hall  Caine. 
THE  MINISTER'S  WEAK  POINT.     By  Maclure. 
AT  LOVE'S  EXTREMES.     By  Thompson. 
BY  RIGHT,    NOT  LAW.    By  R.  H.  Sherard. 
IN  DARKEST  ENGLAND.     By  General  Booth. 
PEOPLE'S  REFERENCE  BOOK. 
MARTHA  WASHINGTON  COOK  BOOK. 
HEALTH  AND  BEAUTY.     By  Emily  S.  Bouton. 


Neely's  Popular  Library. 

Paper        -        Twenty-five  Cents. 


IN  STRANGE  COMPANY.  By  Guy  Boothby. 

(With  full-page  half-tone  Illustrations.) 
RENTED— A  HUSBAND.    By  Voisin. 
THE  NEW  MAN  AT  ROSSMERE. 

By  Mrs.  J.  H.  Walworth. 
A  WOMAN'S  MISTAKE,  OP,  ON  A  MARGIN. 

By  Julius  Chamber*. 

THE  ONE  TOO  MANY.    By  Mrs.  Lynn  Linton. 
THE  FAT  AND  THE  THIN.    By  E mile  Zola. 
AT   MARKET  VAIiUE.    By  Grant  Allen. 
RACHEL  DENE.     By  Robert  Buchanan. 
THE  MINOR  CHORD.    By  J.  M.  Chappie. 
BOSS  BART.    By  J.  M.  Chappie. 
THE  GATES  OP  DAWN.    By  Fergus  Hume. 
NANCE,  A  KENTUCKY  BELLE.    By  Greene. 
BITTER  FRUITS.  By  M.  Caro.   (Fully  Illustrated.) 
ARE   MEN  GAY  DECEIVERS? 

By  Mrs.  Frank  Leslie. 

NYE   AND  RILEY'S  WIT  AND  HUMOR. 
BILL  NYE'S  SPARKS. 
LOVE  AFFAIRS  OF  A  WORLDLY  MAN. 

By  Maibelle  Justice. 
LOVE  LETTERS  OF  A  WORLDLY  WOMAN. 

By  Mrs.  W.  K.  Clifford. 

WAS  IT  SUICIDE?    By  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox. 
CLAUDE A'S  ISLAND.    By  Esnie  Stuart. 
WEBSTER'S  PRONOUNCING  DICTIONARY. 

(Illustrated.)    35O  Pages. 
THE  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  MR.   DERWENT. 

By  Thomas  Cobb. 

SACRIFICED  LOVE.    By  Alphonse  Daudet. 
THE  MAHARAJAH'S  GUEST.     By  Indian  Exile. 
THE  LAST  OF  THE  VAN  SLACKS. 

By  Edward  S.  Van  Zile. 

MARK  TWAIN,  HIS  LIFE  AND  WORK. 
THE  MAJOR  IX  WASHINGTON. 
SOCIAL  ETIQUETTE.    By  Emily  S.  Bonton. 


Neely's  Latest  Books. 


AN  ALTRUIST.    By  OUIDA.    Gilt  top,  $1.00. 

THUS    RUNS    THE    WORLD    AWAY,    AMELIA  E.  BARR. 

Cloth,  $1.25. 
WAS  IT  RIGHT  TO  FORGIVE  ?    AMELIA  E.  BARR.    Cloth, 

$1.25. 

A  NEW  STORY  by  Capt.  Chas.  King.      Cloth,  $1.25. 
THE  EMBASSY  BALL-  By  VIRGINIA  ROSALIE  COXE.  Cloth, 

$1.25  ;  paper,  500. 
A  MODERN  PROMETHEUS.    By  E.  PHILLIPS  OPPENHEIM. 

Illustrated  by  H.  B.  MATHEWS.      Cloth,  gilt  top,  500. 
SOUR  SAINTS  AND  SWEET  SINNERS,    By  CARLOS  MARTYN. 

Cloth,  gilt  top,  $1.00. 
SEVEN  SMILES,  AND  A  FEW  FIBS,    By  THOMAS  J.  VIVIAN, 

with   full-page   illustrations   by   well-known   artists. 

Cloth,  gilt  top,  500. 

DAVENPORT'S  CARTOONS.    By  HOMER  DAVENPORT. 
THE  RASCAL  CLUB.     By  JULIUS  CHAMBERS.     Fully  illus- 
trated by  J.  P.  Burns.     Cloth,  $1.25  ;  paper,  500. 
THE    MILLS    OF   GOD.      By    HELEN    DAVIES,   author  of 
"  Reveries  of  a  Spinster."     Cloth,  $1.25  ;   paper,  500. 
AMONG  THE  DUNES.   By  MRS.  D.  L.  RHONE.  Cloth,  $1.25. 
THE  AILMENT  OF  THE  CENTURY    MAX  NORDAU.  Cloth,  $2. 
A  SON   OF  MARS.     By  ST.  GEORGE   RATHBORNE,  author 

of  "Dr.  Jack."    Cloth,  $i  oo  ;  paper,  500. 
PETRONILLA,  THE  SISTER.     By  EMMA  HOMAN  THAYER. 

Fully  Illustrated.    Cloth,  $1.25  ;  paper,  *;oc. 
SONGS  OF  THE  WINGS.     MINNIE  GILMORE.    "Cloth,  $i .25. 
URANIA.     By    CAMILLE    FLAMMARION.     Profusely    Illus' 

trated.     Cloth,  $1.25  ;  paper,  500. 
A  GUIDE  TO  PALMISTRY.     By  MRS.  ELIZA  EASTER-HEN- 

DERSON.     Cloth,  $1.00. 
TRUE  TO  THEMSELVES.      A    Psychological   Study.      By 

ALEX.  J.  C.  SKENE,  M.D.,  LL.D.     Cloth,  $1.25. 
ODD  FOLKS.     By  OPIE  READ.     Cloth,  $1.00. 
LUNAR  CAUSTIC.    By  CHARLES  H.  ROBINSON.    Paper,  25c. 
UTOPIA.     By  FRANK  ROSEWATER.     Paper,  25c. 
BLACK  FRIDAY.     By  THOMAS  B.  CONNERY.     Paper,  250. 
ALL  THE  DOG'S  FAULT.  ByTnos.  B.  CONNERY.  Paper,25c. 
THE  MALACHITE  CROSS.    By  FRANK  NORTON.    Paper,  250. 
ONE  OF  EARTH'S  DAUGHTERS  ELLEN  ROBERTS.  Paper,  250. 
THE  PASSING  OF  ALIX    MRS  MARJORIE  PAUL.    Paper,  250. 
A  MOUNTAIN  OF  GOLD.    By  WILLIS  STEELL.    Paper,  250. 
ISIDRA,     By  WILLIS  STEELL.     Paper,  500. 


Neely's  Library  of 

Choice  Literature. 

Paper,         •        Fifty  Cents. 


THE  EMBASSY  BALL. 

By  Virginia  Rosalie  Coxe. 
TRUE  TO  THEMSELVES. 

By  Alex.  J.  C.  Skene,  M.  D.,  LL.  D. 

THE  RASCAL  CLUB.  By  Julius  Chambers. 

Fully  Illustrated  by  J.  P.  Burns. 

ISIDRA,  THE  PATRIOT  DAUGHTER  OF 
MEXICO.    By  Willis  Steell. 

THE  MILLS  OF  GOD.      By  Helen  Davies. 

Author  of  "Reverie*  of  a  Spinster. " 

PETRONILLA,  THE  SISTER. 

By  Emma  Homan  Thayer.    Fully  Illustrated. 

URANIA.  By  Camille  Flammarion. 

Profusely  Illustrated  with  half-tone  engravings. 

A  GARRISON  TANGLE.   Capt.  Chas.  King. 

FORT  FRAYNE.  By  Capt.  Chas.  King. 

A  SON  OF  MARS. 

A  BAR  SINISTER. 

A  GODDESS  OF  AFRICA. 

MASKED  IN  MYSTERY,        , 

HER  RESCUE  FROtt  Antbor  °L.  jack. 

THE  TURKS.  J 

A  NEW  ARISTOCRACY.   By  Birch  Arnold. 
MARJORY  MOORE'S  LOVERS. 

By  Adeline  Sergeant. 
A  BACHELOR  OF  PARIS.    J.  W.  Harding. 
Fully  Illustrated  by  William  Hofaker. 

BILL  NYE'S  REMARKS.      150  Illustrations. 


Neely's  Library  of 

Choice  Literature. 


The  following  Copyrighted  Novels,  published  at  soc. 
per  copy,  are  now  sold  at  25c  each. 

MISS  DE VEREUX  OF  THE  MABIQUITA.  By  B.  H.  Savage. 

FACING  THE  FLAG.    By  Jules  Verne. 

HOW  WOMEN  LOVE.     By  Max  Nordau. 

IN  THE  OLD  CHATEAU.    By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

SOME  WOMEN  AND  A  MAN.    By  William  J.  Locke. 

A  DAUGHTER  OF  JUDAS.     By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

THE  LAND  OF  PROMISE.    By  Paul  Bourget. 

THE  FLYING  HALCYON.     By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

THE  CHARLATAN.      By  R.  Buchanan  and  Henry  Murray. 

THE  PRINCESS  OF  ALASKA.    By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

THE  ANARCHIST.    By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

A  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  KING.    By  Alien. 

FOR  LIFE  AND  LOVE.    By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

A  MONK  OF  CRUTA.     By  E.  Phillips  Oppenheim. 

LIFE  AND  SERMONS  OF  DAVID  SWING. 

THE  MASKED  VENUS.     By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

THE  FALLEN  RACE.    By  Austyn  Granville. 

A  YOUNG  LADY  TO  MARRY,  and  other  French  Stories. 

SWEET  DANGER.    By  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox. 

THE  SPIDER  OF  TRUXILLO.    By  Richard  Henry  Savage. 

HAWAIIAN  LIFE.    By  Charles  Warren  Stoddard. 

AFTER   MANY   YEARS— Poems.     By  R.  H.  Savage. 

IN  THE  DAY  OF  BATTLE.     By  J.  A.  Steuart. 

CAMPAIGNS  OF  CURIOSITY.    By  E.  L.  Banks. 


Prismatic  Library 

Gilt  Top,         -        Fifty  Cents. 


"I  KNOW  OF  NOTHING  IN  THE  BOOK  LINE  THAT 
EQUALS  NEELY'S  PRISMATIC  LIBRARY  FOR  ELEGANCB 
AND  CAREFUL  SELECTION.  IT  SETS  A  PACE  THAT 
OTHERS  WILL  NOT  EASILY  EQUAL,  AND  NONE  SUR- 
PASS."—E.  A.  ROBINSON. 

SEVEN  SMILES,  AND  A  FEW  FIBS.  By  Thomas  J. 
Vivian,  with  full-page  illus.  by  well-known  artists. 

A  MODERN  PROMETHEUS.  By  E.  Phillips  Oppen- 
heim.  Illustrated  by  H.  B.  Mathews. 

THE  SHACKLES  OF  FATE.    By  Max  Nordau. 
SOAP  BUBBLES.    By  Max  Nordau. 

A  BACHELOR  OF  PARIS.    By  John  W.  Harding. 

With  over  50  illustrations  by  William  Hofaker. 

MONTRESOR.    By  Loota. 

REVERIES  OF  A  SPINSTER.    By  Helen  Davies. 
THE  ART  MELODIOUS.    By  Louis  Lombard. 
THE  HONOR  OF  A  PRINCESS.    F.  Kimball  Scribner. 
OBSERVATIONS  OF  A  BACHELOR.  Louis  Lombard. 
KINGS  IN  ADVERSITY.    By  E.  S.  Van  Zile. 

NOBLE  BLOOD  AND  A  WEST  POINT  PARALLEL. 
By  Captain  King  and  Ernest  Von  Wildenbruch. 

TRUMPETER  FRED.  By  Captain  King.   Illustrated. 
FATHER  STAFFORD.    By  Anthony  Hope. 
THE  KING  IN  YELLOW.    By  R.  W.  Chambers. 
IN  THE  QUARTER.     By  R.  W.  Chambers. 
A  PROFESSIONAL  LOVER.     By  Gyp. 

BIJOU'S  COURTSHIPS.  By  Gyp.  Translated  by 
Katherine  Berry  di  Zeriga.  Illustrated  by  H.  B. 
Axtell. 

A  CONSPIRACY  OF  THE  CARBONARI. 

By  Louise  Muhlbach. 


Neely's  Miscellaneous  Books. 


AMELIA  E.  BARR'S  WORKS. 

THUS  RUNS  THE  WORLD  AWAY.    Cloth,  81.25. 
WAS  IT  BIGHT  TO  FORGIVE  ?    Cloth,  81.95. 

OPIE  READ'S  WORKS. 

ODD  FOLKS.    Cloth,  81.00  ;  paper,  25c. 

THE  CAPTAIN'S  ROMANCE.    Cloth,  81.00  ;  paper,  »flc. 

CAPT.  CHARLES  KINO'S  WORKS. 

FORT  FRAYNE.     Cloth,  81.25  ;  paper,  50c. 
AN  ARMY  WIFE.    Cloth,  81.25.   3%  fall-page  Illustrations 
A  GARRISON  TANGLE.    Cloth,  81.25  ;  paper,  50c. 
NOBLE  BLOOD  AND  A  WEST  POINT  PARALLEL.     50c. 
TRUMPETER  FRED.    50c.    With  full-page  Illustrations. 

MAX  NORDAU'S  WORKS. 

THE  AILMENT  OF  THE  CENTURY.    Cloth,  82.OO. 

THE  SHACKLES  OF  FATE.     Gilt  Top,  50c. 

HOW  WOMEN  LOVE.     Cloth,  81.25. 

THE  RIGHT  TO  LOVE.    Cloth,  81.50. 

THE  COMEDY  OF  SENTIMENT.    Cloth,  81.60. 

SOAP  BUBBLES.    Gilt  top,  50c. 


AN  ALTRUIST.     By  Oulda.     Gilt  top,  SI. 00. 

CHEIRO  S  LANGUAGE  OF  THE  HAND.  Sixth  Edition, 
»2.5O, 

IF  WE  ONLY  KNEW  AND  OTHER  POEMS.  By  Cheiro. 
Cloth,  5Oc. 

THE  BACHELOR  AND  THE  CHAFING  DISH.  By  Deshler 
Welsh.  lUustrated.  Cloth,  81. OO. 

THE  LAND  OF  PROMISE.  By  Paul  Bourget.  Fully  illus- 
trated. Cloth,  81.  OO ;  paper,  25c. 

NEELY'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  PARLIAMENT  OF  RELIG- 
IONS. Over  1,OOO  pages,  fully  illustrated,  82.50. 

DB.  CARLIN'S  RECEIPT  BOOK  AND  HOUSEHOLD 
PHYSICIAN.  Cloth,  81. OO  ;  paper.  5Oc. 

LIFE  AND  SERMONS  OF  DAVID  SWING.  Cloth,  81.50; 
paper,  5Oc. 

GIVING  AND  GETTING  CREDIT.  By  F.  B.  Goddard. 
Cloth,  SI. 00. 

THE  ART  OF  SELLING.    By  F.  B.  Goddard.     5Oc. 

A  JOURNEY  TO  VENUS.  By  G.  W.  Pope.  Cloth,  81.00 ; 
paper,  25c. 

KERCHIEFS  TO  HUNT  SOULS.  By  M.  Amelia  Fytche. 
Cloth,  $1.OO  ;  paper,  25c. 

FACING    THE    FLAG.     By   Jules  Verne.     Cloth,  81. OO. 

THAT  EURASIAN.    By  Aleph  Bey.    Cloth,  81.25. 

CORNERSTONES  OF  CIVILIZATION.  Union  College 
Practical  Lectures  (Butterfleld  Course).  S3. 00. 

WASHINGTON,  OR  THE  REVOLUTION.  A  drama,  by 
Ethan  Allen.  2  vols.  Cloth,  S3.0O;  paper,  81.OO. 


Neely's  Tourist  Library, 

PRICE,        -        TEN  CENTS. 

Entered  as  second-class  matter. 


MR.  F.  TENNYSON  NEELY  presents  a  new  library 
of    unusual    merit,   containing    standard    works 
published  in  a  form  that  has  never  been  equaled. 
NEELY'S  TOURIST  LIBRARY  has  jumped  into  popularity 
from  the  start  among  travelers  and  all  readers  of  fiction, 
so  that  no  shrewd  dealer  need  hesitate  about  making  a 
heavy  order  and   filling   out  a  standing  order  for  each 
weekly  issue,  a  list  of  which  follows  : 

THE  WHITE  COMPANY.     By  A.  Conan  Doyle. 

THE  DEEMSTER.    By  Hall  Caine. 

A  ROMANCE  OF  TWO  WORLDS.  By  Marie  CorelH. 

TREASURE  ISLAND.     By  Robert  L.  Stevenson. 

THE  SIGN  OF  THE  FOUR.     By  A.  Conan  Doyle. 

KIDNAPPED.    By  Robert  L.  Stevenson. 

THE  BONDMAN.    By  Hall  Caine. 

MICAH  CLARK.    By  A.  Conan  Doyle. 

SPORT  ROYAL.    By  Anthony  Hope. 

THE  MAN  IN  BLACK.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman. 

UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.    By  Mrs.  Stowe. 

BEYOND  THE  CITY.     By  A.  Conan  Doyle. 

A  NEW  ISSUE  EVERY  WEEK. 


A     000  040  507    6 


